Dancing in the Dark
by manette
Summary: After Harm and Mac return from Paraguay, Harm still has debts to pay but at what cost? This is the final chapter! Thanks for all the feedback -- everyone has been terrific!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Dancing in the Dark Author: manette Disclaimers: All things JAG belong to DPB and Paramount Rating: PG-13 Spoilers: Harm/Mac story that takes place after ATW but was written before ATW2  
  
Dancing in the Dark  
  
Prologue-  
  
He only comes to me at night-long after I should be asleep. But he knows that I rarely sleep much, and now I never want to close my eyes at all. I lie awake and wait-hoping this will be the night he comes to me again-once more in the darkness.  
  
The Story-  
  
The visits started after we returned from Paraguay. I had been so sure that the Admiral would welcome him back to Jag with open arms. After all, he had rescued me, and Webb, and the CIA's lousy mission-  
  
But nothing in my life made sense anymore, including the fact that everyday when I went to work Commander Harmon Rabb's office remained dark and empty.  
  
He'd started working with the CIA, but I couldn't bring myself to think that it was permanent. The earth was spinning uneasily on its axis knowing that Harm was not part of the Navy, and I just wanted-no, I ached-for things to be the way they used to be.  
  
The first time he showed up unexpectedly I had been tossing and turning for hours, wrestling with my blankets as if they were responsible for all that was wrong in my world. It was after two in the morning, and I almost didn't hear the knock on my front door. Feeling modest enough in my flannel pajamas and bare feet, I stumbled out of my bedroom without turning on the lights and was surprised when I looked through the peep hole, to see him standing in my hallway. My heart jumped shamelessly at the welcome sight of him. He was dressed all in black, and he came in hurriedly when I opened the door. Walking quickly to my window, he checked the street as if he feared he might have been followed, and only then did he turn to me.  
  
"I was hoping you would still be awake." He offered a tense smile as an apology.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked resisting the inexplicable urge to hug him. "Why are you here?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong-I just needed to see you. We've barely talked since we got home from Paraguay." He wandered over to one end of my couch and sat down. I plopped down on the other end and pulled my feet up under me.  
  
"It's the middle of the night, Harm--kind of a strange time for a visit." It was true. We had barely talked. He had been whisked away and caught up in this CIA job almost as soon as our plane touched down. I had a million questions, but his absence had made me shy. He seemed harder, darker, and more dangerous than the man who had been my partner for seven years.  
  
"Ah-but I'm in the spy business now. We operate while the rest of the world sleeps." His tone was mocking. "The truth is I just finished an 'assignment', and I had an overpowering urge to see you." He laughed a little as if the admission cost him something, but his voice was husky, and his face was hidden in the shadows when he said quietly, "I should've stayed away, but I've missed you, Mac."  
  
He sounded tired and a little lost.  
  
I hesitated then said, "I've missed you too, Harm."  
  
The only light in the room came from the streetlights outside the window. Darkness enveloped us as he closed the distance between us on the sofa and cupped my cheek with his hand. His eyes studied my face as if he needed to relearn it, and then he kissed me.  
  
Softly-sweetly-gently-completely.  
  
And then he was whispering broken words as he nuzzled my hair and crushed me against him. "My days are all wrong without you, Mac. Just let me hold you for a while. I need to hold you."  
  
I was a willing prisoner. His arms captured me, aligning me so that I was stretched out across his chest. My legs tangled with his and my bare toes scraped his denim covered shins. His hands smoothed my hair from my face and traveled down my flannel covered back. His lips grazed my temple before moving from my check and on to my neck. I inhaled his closeness, and held on for dear life.  
  
I didn't question why he was there or what it might mean. I didn't want to examine his motives or mine-I just wanted to learn by heart how it felt to be buried in his arms.  
  
The tension in his body seemed to ease when I welcomed his embrace, and I relaxed too for the first time in weeks as he cradled me in his arms. He seemed content to simply hold me, and slowly I drifted off to sleep using his body as an anchor-a mooring that put my world back on an even keel at least for one night.  
  
I woke up the next morning alone and in my bed instead of on the couch. I'd been disappointed but not completely surprised to find Harm gone. There had been an air of desperation about him that he would have been uncomfortable showing in the light of day. But I vowed that the next time I saw him, I would make him talk to me. The guilt I felt about what he had sacrificed was enormous, and I wanted him to reassure me that he had made the right choice by accepting this new job. He had thrown away everything he loved, and nothing about that felt right.  
  
Attempts to contact him had been futile. I'd left a few messages at his apartment and on his cell phone, but I never heard from him. And apparently, no one at the CIA thought I had a 'need to know' when it came to the whereabouts of Harmon Rabb, Jr.  
  
Days and long nights dragged by, and I heard nothing. I started thinking that his visit had been a dream-some kind of pathetic unfulfilled fantasy- the imaginings of a lonely woman. I dragged myself through my workdays making an effort to lose myself in court cases-searching for that passion for the law that had sustained me through the years. But these days all my passion seemed to be reserved for one man alone. And he was nowhere to be found. I ran for miles every evening trying to exhaust my body so that I could fall into some sort of sleep, but my mind wouldn't rest and each night I relived the brand of his touch, the echo of his murmured words.  
  
And still I hadn't heard a single word from Harm.  
  
I finally convinced myself that it was best if he stayed away from me. I would always be an unwelcome reminder of the life he had left behind. And we couldn't turn back the clock and recapture what we'd had, so the best thing for both of us was to move on with our separate lives. Someday I hoped to believe that. I'd drifted off to sleep hoping not to dream at all, praying if I did that it wouldn't be of Harm.  
  
That night I woke up suddenly-startled to find myself surrounded by a large, warm body. He must have used his key to get in when I hadn't answered the door. I shivered thinking that he must have watched me sleep before stripping down to his boxers and slipping into my bed. Though he was asleep, he seemed restless and troubled. He held me tightly and mumbled a protest as I turned to face him. I studied his beautiful unshaven face in the half light of the bedroom. Even in slumber he looked worn out. I longed to soothe away the weariness, and so I touched him while he slept, hoping my gentle fingers would alleviate the coiled tension that radiated from his skin. I ran my fingers across his bare chest and up his neck. I brushed my lips across his brow and tangled my fingers in his hair.  
  
I knew the exact moment when he woke up. His body went from tense to rigid in a matter of seconds, and I found myself flat on my back with my arms pinned above my head.  
  
Cold flat eyes that didn't know me bored into mine and a harsh, menacing voice demanded in the darkness. "Tell me who you are before I kill you."  
  
To be continued. 


	2. Chapter Two

Dancing in the Dark  
  
Part two  
  
"Harm," I gasped as his weight drove me into the mattress.  
  
His forearm came down on my throat, and I began to struggle in earnest. "Harm, stop," I whispered again clawing at his arm with my loose hand. "It's me, Mac."  
  
Recognition slowly crept into his eyes, only to be replaced by horror at what he had done.  
  
"Oh, god, Mac." He released me and rolled away with his back to me. He sat on the side of the bed with his head hanging down, breathing loudly and struggling for control.  
  
I crawled over to him and put my hand on his back. He glanced at me and then dragged me up beside him and buried his face in my neck.  
  
"I'm sorry." He pulled back to look at me. "Did I hurt you?" His hands ran up and down my arms and across my throat.  
  
"You didn't hurt me, Harm." My heart was still about to pound out of my chest. "But what just happened? You scared me to death."  
  
"I just threatened to kill you," he said with disgust. "That's what happened."  
  
"Obviously, you didn't know it was me."  
  
"If I'd woken up in bed with a woman a month ago I don't think that would have been my reaction." He moved away from me, stood up and started gathering his clothes. "I shouldn't have come here."  
  
"Don't do this, Harm." I jumped off the bed and grabbed his arm. "I want you to stay here and explain to me what's going on. How did everything about our lives get so mixed up in such a short amount of time?"  
  
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "The only thing I can tell you is that I'm trying to get things back on track, and for now, doing this job is the only way I know to do that." He pushed his legs into his jeans and threw on his shirt without buttoning it while he looked for his socks and shoes.  
  
"At what cost?" I demanded.  
  
"Everything has a cost, Mac."  
  
"That's not an answer, Harm. I need to know why in the world you are working for the CIA. Have you even talked to the Admiral about coming back to Jag? Help me understand this. No one has given me a straight answer since I've been home. Not the Admiral. Not Webb. Not even you. I can accept it from them, but not from you." I was ranting, but I couldn't stop.  
  
Suddenly he looked so defeated, and I realized how that must have sounded considering all that he had given up for me. I quickly added, "Harm, I owe you my life, but you owe me something too. You can't just show up in the middle of the night whenever you feel like it and then disappear for weeks at a time. I'm worried about you all the time, and I want to kill you the rest."  
  
He sank down onto the side of the bed and just stared at the floor.  
  
I pleaded with him. "You've got to give me a way to live with this."  
  
Finally he looked up and asked, "Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."  
  
At least he wasn't running out the door. I let out the breath I had been holding and asked, "How about a peanut butter sandwich?"  
  
"With honey?" His smile was tired but sweet.  
  
"I think I can manage that."  
  
He followed me into the kitchen and buttoned his shirt while he watched me make his food.  
  
"Do you want some tea?" I asked.  
  
"Sure, tea would be great."  
  
I put the kettle on while he poured himself a glass of milk. We carried the food out to the dining room table and sat down.  
  
"When is the last time you ate?" I asked as I watched him wolf down the sandwich.  
  
"Yesterday morning," he admitted before downing half of his glass of milk.  
  
"I'll make you another one, but it's going to cost you."  
  
"I'll tell you what I can, Mac. You deserve that much." He seemed more resigned than happy about it.  
  
I got up and made him another sandwich and finished making the tea. When I sat back down I said. "Ok, talk to me."  
  
He closed his eyes and said, "You know I made a deal with the CIA so they would help me find you."  
  
"Yes, and when we took out the stinger missiles and flushed out the mole that deal should have been fulfilled."  
  
"Well, they don't quite see it that way."  
  
"Harm, they used both of us to do their dirty work and that should be the end of it. You need to talk to the Admiral about coming back to JAG. It's where you belong."  
  
"When we blew up those missiles it stirred up a hornet's nest."  
  
"I'm not surprised. That's the nature of those kinds of operations. You shut them down in one place and they crop up somewhere else. What does that have to do with you?"  
  
"Well, you know Gunny stayed in Paraguay when we came home." I nodded and he continued. "One of his contacts, a woman named Esmelda, worked at a local manufacturing and distributing company. They had a warehouse out in the middle of nowhere that had a small run down airstrip attached to it. The warehouse was being used to store counterfeit knock offs-cds, watches, even designer purses and shoes- before they shipped them off to other countries to be sold. Then the money from the sales would be funneled back into the terrorist organization by sending money to P.O. boxes set up by dummy corporations. From there the money could be wired anywhere overseas in a matter of minutes." He paused to take a sip of tea.  
  
"An increase in activity at that airstrip made the CIA particularly interested in that business, and since their newest recruit was an ex-Navy pilot, I guess they thought I should be involved so they sent me back down there. It made sense to assume that besides being used to ship handbags, the airstrip was being used for transporting weapons, people, and even aircraft in and out of the country as well. We'd just set up some preliminary surveillance on the place when Gunny got a tip from Esmelda that they were expecting an important shipment at the airfield. She didn't have all the specifics but told us that security was being stepped up on a certain date and that everyone was unusually nervous. Two days ago based on her information and some other corroborating intel I gave the go ahead and we raided the airstrip. When we got there the place was deserted, except they had tied Esmelda to a chair and slit her throat."  
  
His face was a mask as he related the last part, and his voice got even flatter if that was possible. "I left them to sort it all out and caught the first plane out of there. On the flight home every time I closed my eyes I would see her face-those lifeless eyes staring at me. And every time I tried to get the image of her out of my head it was replaced with one of you strapped to that table about to be tortured. I realized then that even if I had known it would cost Esmelda her life, I would still have made the same bargain to save you all over again. What kind of man does that make me?" He rubbed his hands over his face refusing to look at me.  
  
Knowing he needed some space to keep his composure, I'd valiantly resisted the impulse to gather him into my arms while he told this story, but at his last words I stopped resisting and launched myself into his lap. He buried his face in my shoulder and held me tightly as he continued his confession, "I came here straight from the airport. You were asleep and I should have just turned around and gone home, but I couldn't make myself leave."  
  
"I'm so glad you didn't leave." I held on tight trying to show him that this was where he belonged. "Harm, you've got to quit now. You don't owe them anything else."  
  
His story was horrifying, and the wound was still too raw for him to see that the responsibility for her death wasn't solely his. But it wasn't in him to shift blame, so I could only hope that time would give him some perspective. I knew that he would always carry guilt over this woman's death, but he could come home now and start to heal, and I wanted to help him if he would let me.  
  
I felt such relief that it was finally all over, until his next words stopped me cold.  
  
"I can't quit, yet." He spoke with grim determination.  
  
"Why not?" I demanded.  
  
"Because there's a lawyer in Maryland that I need to eliminate."  
  
To be continued-- 


	3. Chapter Three

Part Three  
  
I pushed myself away from him and stood up. "I am going to assume that you don't actually plan to kill anyone."  
  
"Ask me again tomorrow. Right now I could kill him with my bare hands."  
  
"And this lawyer has something to do with what happened in Paraguay?" I walked over to the sofa and sat down. My disappointment was barely manageable and I wrapped my arms around my middle.  
  
"Listen, Mac, I've already said too much." He stood also and started pacing in front of the couch.  
  
"And so now you'll just disappear again to pursue your newest obsession." I tried to keep the bitterness from my voice.  
  
"I'm just doing my job."  
  
"Avenging this woman's death is not part of your job, Harm."  
  
"No, it's my job to follow the leads wherever they take me. But let me make one thing clear. I only have one obsession these days."  
  
"What's that?" I asked wearily.  
  
"You." His voice was hushed.  
  
My eyes flew to his, and his low, dark voice washed over me, saying the words I'd only heard in my dreams.  
  
"When I resigned my commission and went to Paraguay, it was about you. When I accepted this deal with the CIA it was about you. And when this job is finished it will still be about you."  
  
I could barely breathe. "I'm right here."  
  
"And this time I'm the one with one foot out the door." He sat down beside me on the sofa and turned his body so that he was facing me. "I'm in no position to ask you to wait for me, Mac. So I won't. I want you to get on with your life while I'm trying to straighten out mine. But I am also telling you right now that when this job is finished-and I don't care if it takes weeks or months or years-when all of this is finished, I'm coming back for you."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere, Harm."  
  
"Well, I won't hold you to that, Mac. I know you have some unfinished business with Webb."  
  
I tried to protest but he stopped me before I could say anything. "You don't need to explain. I understand how he feels about you. I'm just warning you that even if I come back and find out that you have become the new Mrs. Clayton Webb, it won't stop me."  
  
"When did you turn into such a caveman?" I smiled at the absurdity of it.  
  
Smiling he shrugged. "I tried the noble approach with Lowne and Brumby. It didn't get me very far." He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Walk me to the door."  
  
"You're leaving?" I didn't want him to go.  
  
"I think I should." He sounded determined.  
  
"I have a better idea." I started dragging him toward the bedroom. "You need some sleep."  
  
"If we go back into the bedroom it won't be to sleep." He stopped short and hauled me up against him.  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that." But I saw the regret in his eyes even before he spoke.  
  
"Mac, we can't. Not now. Not like this. It wouldn't be fair to you."  
  
"I thought you were going to give up on the noble approach." I tried not to pout, but couldn't keep from turning my face away when he tried to kiss me.  
  
He chased my mouth with his and whispered softly, "Kiss me, Mac."  
  
I had no will to resist. I turned my mouth back to his, seeking his gentleness. Instead I was met by savage intent. It was a kiss full of want and need and the loneliness we were both certain to endure in the coming weeks. He ended the kiss reluctantly and I tried not to cling as he walked out the door and disappeared from my life once more.  
  
I floated through the next few days, replaying Harm's words in my head. I was optimistic that he would be home soon, and we would finally have a chance to explore this thing between us. At least we both seemed to want the same thing at the same time for a change. But days turned into weeks and nothing happened. He called a couple of times, but couldn't really share what he was doing, so I would tell him about my days at JAG. My court cases, Harriet's pregnancy, Sturgis and Bud facing off against each other. He seemed comforted by the familiar news. Another night he called and we barely spoke. Like an adolescent I was content to listen to him breathe. Breaking the connection had been painful, and like an adolescent I was certain I could die of heartache.  
  
I finally started badgering Webb for information. We'd stayed close while he recovered from his injuries. I'd made it clear that friendship was all he could expect, and he had accepted that easily enough. If he still had feelings for me he never mentioned them, and I think we both felt relieved to find ourselves back in a more comfortable place with each other. So we had fallen into a habit of spending time together at least one night a week after work. I was lonely, and he hadn't gotten back into the swing of his old social life yet. He was working again, though only part time. The background work he had done in Paraguay had been extensive and the contacts he had established had proven invaluable to the ongoing investigations, so his superiors had rewarded him by allowing him to return to work at Langley. He wasn't overseeing anything anymore, but Catherine Gale kept him up to date and consulted with him from time to time.  
  
I never told him about Harm's visits, but Webb was a pretty smart guy. If he thought Harm was oblivious than he certainly found me to be nothing if not obvious. He had always been able to see how I felt about the man, so he wasn't surprised that I was worried about Harm's new job. He also knew that he owed Harm his life, so keeping his ex partner from dissolving into hysteria with bits of news occasionally was a small price to pay.  
  
Almost six weeks after Harm had walked out of my door, Clayton called on a Friday afternoon and told me to meet him at Dusty's. I was familiar with the place. Dusty's was an upscale restaurant and bar that catered to the upwardly mobile career crowd. It was full of slate table tops, cast iron chairs and strategically placed uplights that gave the place a warm glow. The food was unassuming and on a Friday night the drinks were half priced, so the crowd was already happy by the time I arrived and looked around for Webb. He was waiting for me outside near the entrance and threw his arm around me and led me inside.  
  
We were walking to our table when I saw him. He was standing near the bar, and he was laughing. His hand rested at the small of a woman's back. She was blonde, and I hated her on sight. When she turned I recognized Catherine Gale. She was looking up at him, flirting, laughing in return.  
  
Harm had come home, but instead of coming to see me he was here with her. Clayton pulled out my chair, so I blindly sat down and asked, "Did you know he would be here?"  
  
He didn't ask who I meant, but did seem surprised by my tone of voice. "I thought you would be happy to see him. Do you want to leave?"  
  
Before I could answer, Catherine spotted us and waved. She started toward our table pulling a shocked looking Harm along with her.  
  
"Webb! I'd heard that some woman was managing to get you back into circulation, but I didn't know it was Sarah McKenzie. Nice to see you again, Colonel." She stuck out her hand so I was forced to take it.  
  
Webb stood at her approach. "Hello Catherine. Yes, Sarah is just what the doctor ordered. I don't know what I would have done without her."  
  
She still held Harm's arm and turned to him. "Isn't this a nice surprise?"  
  
"Hi, Mac." He looked uncomfortable.  
  
"Harm." I managed a weak smile that didn't go unnoticed by Ms. Gale. I tried to cover my reaction by cheerfully inviting them to join us.  
  
Harm said hello to Clayton and shook his hand before pulling out Catherine's chair. He sat down in the chair adjacent to me allowing his knee to brush against mine. I moved away from the contact and asked Catherine brightly, "Well, how's your newest recruit doing?"  
  
She grabbed his hand off the table and said sweetly while staring at him adoringly, "Well, I don't want to embarrass him, but I think he could be good at anything he tried. I know I have learned a lot by listening to the way he thinks a problem through. I have found it fascinating. But you must know all of that. You are so lucky to have worked with him for all those years. I really envy you."  
  
She certainly was touchy feely for a CIA lawyer. I couldn't stop staring at their joined hands. I had an overpowering urge to stab them both with my fork.  
  
Harm pulled his hand away from hers and changed the subject. "So Mac, how are things at JAG?"  
  
"You know how it is, Harm. Just the same old, dull military cases, week after week. We have tried our best to carry on without you, though. You really should stop by and see everyone if you are going to be in town for a while. I know they all miss you."  
  
I must have sounded sarcastic because Clayton reached over and rubbed my forearm soothingly and then asked the question that I had been dying to ask since I first spotted him across the room. "So, when did you get back into town, Harm?"  
  
He glanced at Webb's hand resting on my arm then answered bravely, "About a week ago, I guess."  
  
About a week ago! It was worse than I thought. He had been home for a week and hadn't even called. I needed to escape so I stood up and asked to be excused.  
  
I practically ran to the ladies room. I washed my face and force myself to take some deep breaths. There had to be a good reason if he hadn't called or come to see me. How could he not come to see me? I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until after I talked to him. Then I would kill him. There had to be a simple explanation and I couldn't hide in the restroom all night. I plastered a smile on my face and marched out to rejoin them.  
  
He was waiting for me at the bar when I came out of the ladies room.  
  
"Don't go home with him," He grabbed my arm as I started to walk past him. "We need to talk."  
  
"Harm, your date is watching us. You might want to let go of me."  
  
"She's not my date."  
  
"Oh, really? Did you tell her that?"  
  
"Mac, she is not my date." He released my arm as he repeated his earlier denial.  
  
"Then what is she?"  
  
"She's just my partner."  
  
Those words ripped into me with a force I wasn't prepared for. I was supposed to be his partner. I was Sundance to his Butch, Robin to his Batman. That was just the way it was supposed to be. I almost wished she was his date. I conjured up an excuse for a smile and said, "It doesn't look like you had any trouble breaking in a new one."  
  
He realized what he'd said and apology, frustration and stubbornness were all evident on his face. He stepped closer to me and reached for my hand. "Mac, I hate this. Please don't go home with him."  
  
Feeling bruised I said simply, "Give me a reason."  
  
Despite the fact that Catherine and Clayton were watching us from across the room, he stepped even closer and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Doughnuts."  
  
Startled, I pulled back to look at him.  
  
"So, you're pulling out the big guns?" I asked. When we'd worked together he would bring me doughnuts when he was trying to get back on my good side after a confrontation. But it was a tactic he saved only for the most important groveling. I felt the earth shift back to more solid ground.  
  
He seemed very pleased with himself as he waited for my answer.  
  
"Jelly?" I asked through narrowed eyes.  
  
He pretended to consider for a moment then said smugly, "That could be arranged. I might even throw in a cinnamon twist or two."  
  
"You never did fight fair." I said in defeat. There had never been any question that I would give in. "I like the lemon filled."  
  
"I know what you like, Mac." In a voice that should have been confined to the bedroom he added, "And wear those red pajamas."  
  
I put some distance between us. "You mean the ones with little pink pigs on them?"  
  
He grinned from ear to ear. "Those are pigs? I thought they were bunny rabbits."  
  
I started walking back to the table where Catherine and Clayton waited, and Harm trailed behind me "Oh, and Harm, just so you know, I never planned to go home with him."  
  
Oddly enough, I didn't see triumph in his eyes, only relief.  
  
** I sat on one end of my couch. Harm sat on the other. I'd changed into my piggy pajamas when I got home. He had removed his dark suit jacket and tie, loosened his collar and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. My bare feet rested in his lap, and a large box of assorted doughnuts sat on the coffee table in front of us.  
  
"Were you even going to let me know you were home?"  
  
"Not if I could help it. I've been trying to stay away, but if it makes you feel any better, a few nights ago I sat outside your apartment for about an hour before I managed to make myself drive home."  
  
I shook my head sympathetically. "I would've never known a thing if you hadn't agreed to let Catherine show you off in public."  
  
"Or if you hadn't agreed to be Webb's latest arm decoration."  
  
I took a bite of my lemon filled doughnut and remarked casually, "So- Catherine is a blonde-that's good. You like blondes."  
  
He shrugged and stroked the arch of my foot. "Blondes contrast nicely with my dark, good looks. Webb is certainly infatuated with you," he noted nonchalantly.  
  
"It's flattering to be wanted." I shivered as his hand moved inside my pajama leg to stroke my calf.  
  
"I want you." His eyes were dark and deadly serious.  
  
"Well, he's needed a little help with his convalescence." I rubbed my foot against the inside of his leg  
  
His voice was soft and low as he murmured, "I need you."  
  
Disconcerted, I tried to change the subject. "I overheard Bud telling Sturgis about your 'marriage' to Ms. Gale. He was almost beside himself when he described that moment when you kissed the bride."  
  
"You kissed Webb." He countered automatically.  
  
"I love it when we keep score." I sighed and then closed my eyes and concentrated on the hand that was wandering in the direction of my thigh.  
  
"Come here, Mac. You have some jelly on your mouth." He grabbed both of my legs just behind my knees and pulled me toward him.  
  
"Besides," I explained patiently, "I thought Webb was dying."  
  
I offered no resistance as he maneuvered me until I was straddling his lap.  
  
"I thought her mother was dying, too."  
  
He studied my mouth, and with his thumb dabbed at one corner. Then he rubbed it across my lower lip and stole a quick kiss. "Sweet," he whispered before taking my mouth completely.  
  
I wrapped myself around him, dropping my uneaten doughnut onto the sofa, not caring that it got squashed somewhere beneath us as he pushed me back into the cushions. His body covered mine and I welcomed the sheer weight of him-the reality of having his body close to mine. He kissed me like he'd missed me. He kissed me like he never wanted to leave me-and suddenly I knew that this visit was about saying goodbye. Again.  
  
I grabbed his face and pulled away, looking at him sadly. "You're about to go away again, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, and this time I really can't be in touch until it's over. I am going undercover and Catherine will be my only contact."  
  
"Does this have something to do with that lawyer in Maryland?" I suddenly realized that he would still be in the area.  
  
"Yes, and that is all I am going to say." He had shifted so that we were lying side by side facing each other on the couch.  
  
"Is it dangerous?" I echoed the question he had asked me long ago.  
  
"Very." He answered honestly knowing I wouldn't have believed him even if he had denied it.  
  
I sat up as an idea began to take place in my head. "Harm, why don't you go to the Admiral and request my help on this?"  
  
"Because I don't want to give him a reason to break my nose. That's why." He sat up beside me and pushed himself off the couch.  
  
"Why is this any different than all of the other times Webb borrowed one of us?" The more I thought about it the better this idea sounded.  
  
Harm didn't seem to agree. He paced around and tried to poke holes in my plan. "Well for one thing the plan is already in place. And for another thing I don't think the Admiral is too happy with me for leaving him short handed. He certainly wouldn't appreciate it if I waltzed into his office and asked to borrow you too."  
  
"I was on this investigation before you were, Harm, so it makes sense to let me help. Besides you need someone to watch your six. What kind of mission planning is that anyway? You need someone on the inside with you."  
  
"Forget it, Mac. I know you feel like you are being left on the sidelines, and I love you for wanting to be there to back me up. But it's not going to happen this time."  
  
I could tell that I was getting nowhere with him, so I decided to back down. "I'm sorry, Harm. I'm worried about you and I just got carried away." He looked suspicious. He knew it wasn't like me to give up so easily, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down beside me. "Don't you want to show me how much you're going to miss me while you're gone?" Then I kissed him and talking didn't seem important anymore.  
  
"I want to hold you while you fall asleep," he whispered later as we tried to bank our desire for each other. Despite my best efforts he was still stubbornly refusing to make love to me until all of this was over.  
  
"I don't want to close my eyes while you're still here." I murmured into his chest even as I stifled a yawn.  
  
He stood and scooped me into his arms, carrying me into the bedroom. "C'mon Sleepyhead. Let me tuck you in."  
  
I helped pull back the covers and snuggled into my bed wrapped in his arms. As I drifted off to sleep I made a mental note to call Webb and then the Admiral first thing the next morning.  
  
To be continued-- 


	4. Chapter Four

Part Four  
  
The Admiral was not very happy, I was not very happy, and though it was hard to tell by looking at him, Clayton Webb was probably not very happy either.  
  
I had been bending Webb's ear all morning, pleading my case and he'd finally, reluctantly agreed to help me. At the Admiral's command to enter, I marched into his office with Webb in tow.  
  
"Sir," I announced, "Mr. Webb has something he would like to ask you."  
  
The Admiral looked at Clayton Webb, then at me, and then back at Clayton again.  
  
"Well, what is it?" he barked. A.J. Chegwidden had not been in a good mood since my return from Paraguay. He wouldn't say as much to me, but he had seemed shocked, and then angry, and maybe even hurt when Harm had made no attempt to return to JAG. I had never been told the complete story about why he wouldn't allow Harm to go after me, and I felt certain that there was more to the story. But if he felt guilty about it at all, I was not above using it to my advantage.  
  
"Well, Admiral-I want to borrow Mac again." Webb winced when AJ rounded on him and got within an inch of his face.  
  
"You're feeling brave for a man just out of the hospital." A lesser man would have run right out the door.  
  
Clayton stood fast and glanced at me. I gave him a pointed look and he took a deep breath and said. "Believe it or not there are worse things than facing your wrath, Admiral."  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that this is not your idea, Webb?" The Admiral was still glaring at him. Turning to me he added, "And why do I get the feeling that this has something to do with Rabb?"  
  
When neither of us responded he turned his back to us and then said quietly, "The answer is no."  
  
"But, sir-"  
  
He turned back around so quickly I jumped. "Are you going to quit on me now too? Let me help you fill out the paper work, Colonel. This is not a recruiting office for the CIA, damn it."  
  
"I can't leave him behind, sir." I stood at attention and stared straight ahead.  
  
"Webb, would you excuse us for just a minute." The Admiral moved into my line of vision and his eyes locked onto mine. I heard the door close as Clayton left the room.  
  
"So, this is about Rabb."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
He sighed and said, "Have a seat, Mac."  
  
I sat down and he leaned against the front of his desk. "It was his choice to move on."  
  
"Was it? I think the CIA used his loyalty to me so that he would do their dirty work, and I think he is still being used."  
  
"And you think I am partly responsible?" He walked around his desk and sat down heavily.  
  
"What I think, Admiral, is that you knew Harm would go after me, and you also knew that his best chance of finding me was with the help of the CIA. Certain agreements had to be reached for that to happen."  
  
"Those certain agreements did not include him joining the CIA permanently."  
  
"All I know is that he is in this situation because of me. He is going undercover as a follow up to leads he found in Paraguay, and I need to be there to back him up."  
  
"And he's okay with your involvement?"  
  
"He doesn't know yet, sir. In fact, after I convince you, I still have to convince Catherine Gale that this is a good idea."  
  
He studied me before remarking, "Nothing would have stopped him from going after you. You know that don't you?"  
  
"He's stubborn that way."  
  
"And nothing is going to stop you either, is it Mac?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
He brooded for a few more minutes, and then stood up and said decisively, "Permission granted, Colonel. And I am going to make a few phone calls to remind some people that at JAG we take care of our own. I don't think you will get much of an argument from Ms. Gale by the time I'm finished."  
  
"Thank you, sir." I was flooded with relief. Knowing the Admiral was on my side only added to my determination.  
  
"Oh, and Mac, when you talk to Harm, tell him that when this case is over I expect him to come see me."  
  
"Yes sir." His words made me want to jump for joy, but that would have to wait until later.  
  
I nearly skipped out the door, and grabbed Clayton who was perched on the edge of Tiner's desk and pulled him toward my office.  
  
"I take it from your giddy demeanor that he okayed this crazy idea." Webb said as he lounged against the doorframe.  
  
"You only think it's crazy because it wasn't your idea."  
  
"So what now? I don't have much influence with this case, Mac. Catherine already has a plan in place and there's no guarantee that she will agree to let you help."  
  
"I'm on my way to talk to her now. You don't have to come with me, but do you have any advice on how to approach her?" I gathered my briefcase and cover and headed back out the door.  
  
"Are you kidding? This is one meeting I wouldn't miss for the world." Webb chuckled and followed me out of the bullpen.  
  
***  
  
"Come in, Colonel McKenzie. I've been expecting you." Catherine Gale rose from behind her desk. "Clayton," she acknowledged him and invited us both to sit down.  
  
"So if you were expecting me then I guess you know why I'm here?" I was impressed. The Admiral worked fast.  
  
"Even without the phone calls from upstairs I am not really surprised to see you. When you were undercover with Clay, Harm was ready to do just about anything to find out where you were, so I guess I realized then that the two of you were a packaged deal."  
  
"So does that mean you're going to make this easy?"  
  
"Oh, it will be easy enough for me. I can always use an extra pair of eyes and ears on an operation like this, but I don't know how easy it will be for you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"How much do you know, Colonel?"  
  
"Just that Harm is going undercover and that it involves a lawyer in Maryland."  
  
"We have reason to believe that this lawyer is somehow involved in financing terrorist activities. Harm will be going undercover as a family law attorney. He has just moved into the same legal building where our target has an office."  
  
"Ok. Send me in as his receptionist-or as a paralegal. That should be easier than pretending to be a diamond expert." I smirked at Webb who hadn't said a word since we sat down.  
  
"I can do that. That makes sense with your legal background. There's just one problem." She looked at me sympathetically.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"The lawyer-Frankie Mitchell-is a woman. Harm's job is to seduce her. Do you think you can handle that?"  
  
To be continued. 


	5. Chapter Five

Part 5  
  
I didn't look like a woman applying for a job in a legal office. I looked more like a woman trying to get lucky in a bar, but this was the look the profilers had picked for me, saying they wanted a look that Frankie Mitchell wouldn't approve of-a look that would push her buttons. Clayton had been only too happy to help pick out my 'working' wardrobe. Skirts that flirted with being too short and too tight, blouses that dipped a bit too low in front, heels that made my legs look great but were impossible to walk in. To top it all off, I had several wigs in varying lengths and colors, also. For my interview I was wearing a straight, tight black skirt and a v-necked form fitting red sweater. Clayton decided somewhat gleefully that the long blonde wig was the perfect finishing touch. My look was flamboyant, and it was not designed to make other women like me, especially in a work environment.  
  
I was proud of myself for not wobbling on my three inch red high heels with ankle straps as I approached the building that housed Harm's new office. He had been told by Catherine to expect some job applicants today, but she hadn't told him to expect me. I wasn't sure that was such a good idea, but I wasn't running the operation so I kept my mouth shut. Now more than ever I wanted to be close in case Harm needed my help, so I wasn't going to make waves.  
  
It had been almost two weeks since I had barged into Catherine's office. Two weeks where I had to sit and think about what Harm might be doing in Ellicott City, Maryland. Obviously, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of Harm using his charm on another woman, but my main concern was the emotional impact that this would have on him over time. It wasn't in his nature to be comfortable with deceit and subterfuge, and I couldn't help but feel that he was going to need me to watch his six not just physically but mentally as well before this was all over.  
  
He'd actually started making tentative contact with Frankie Mitchell even before that night that he'd told me goodbye. He'd approached her before he'd opened his law office, asking her questions about the building, scouting out the location, making new neighbor noises. Once he'd moved in, it had been natural for him to stop by her office for conversation several times during the day, or since he was new in town invite her to join him for lunch. He hadn't asked her to do anything after business hours yet. He wanted to take things slow and gain her trust.  
  
Catherine seemed to take a perverse pleasure in keeping me caught up on his progress, almost as if she were testing my ability to stay cool. She briefed me almost daily, getting me ready to go in as his combination receptionist-paralegal assistant, making sure I understood the part I was to play, and though I was impatient to get started I didn't let her know it. I hadn't batted an eye when she told me that Harm's job was to seduce this woman, and I certainly wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of reacting now.  
  
I took a deep breath and stepped into the lobby. The building housed mainly small law offices since it was conveniently located only a few blocks from the courthouse, but I noticed on the lobby's directory that an accounting firm, an insurance agency and a nonprofit charitable organization were located in it also. The one story square was built around a courtyard with offices on only one side of the hallway. Big windows lined the other side and looked out onto a patio area that was filled with tables and chairs. It was just past lunchtime and several people were still sitting outside as I made my way down the sunlit hall in search of number 104-the office of Harry Baldridge, attorney at law.  
  
In my briefings I had been told that Frankie Mitchell's office was around the corner from his in 106. I was anxious to get a glimpse of this mystery woman, but that could wait I told myself as I passed number 100 and then 102. I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach as I approached his office. I couldn't begin to guess what his reaction was going to be, but I expected him to be at least annoyed if not angry with me. That was too bad. He would just have to get over it, because he was going to be stuck with me until this insane assignment was finished.  
  
I was about to knock on the door when I heard voices coming down the hallway. I peered cautiously around the corner and there he was looking every bit the civilian lawyer in his charcoal gray suit. He was walking in my direction beside a petite woman with pale red hair. She was almost plain at first glance but she had an other-worldly aura about her that made you take a second look. She wore a gauzy beige shapeless dress and her hair was long and floated around her like angel wings as she walked. She was listening intently to Harm as he talked-as if every word he spoke was precious. His hand rested on her back as he escorted her to her office door. She opened it, and he leaned against the door frame and smiled that smile. She answered it with one of her own and in that moment was transformed from plain to beautiful.  
  
My stomach knotted at the sight of him gazing down at her so sweetly. I suddenly felt cheap and clownish in my high heels and low cut sweater, and I hated Clayton and Catherine and the CIA profilers and everyone else who had helped design my part in this mission. I wanted to slink away and find the nearest restroom and scrub the extra make-up from my face, but she chose that moment to notice that I was standing there staring at them.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked in a cautious tone.  
  
Harm glanced my way and then did a double take when I said, "I'm looking for Harry Baldridge."  
  
He obviously hadn't recognized me at first, but his eyes widened and he straightened and moved away from her before stating neutrally, "I'm Harry Baldridge. Are you here about the job?"  
  
"Yes, I saw the ad in the paper." I smiled my best 'I hope you'll consider hiring me smile', but Ms. Mitchell wasn't impressed. She looked at me disapprovingly, and then turned back to Harm. She seemed bothered by the way he was staring at me, and touched his arm to regain his attention.  
  
"Well, Harry, I know you need to handle this, so I'll talk to you later." She smiled at him, gave me another dismissive glance and disappeared into her office.  
  
He didn't say a word. He just brushed past me and unlocked his office door and then stood back to let me enter. Except for his tightly clenched jaw I would never have known that he was upset. He moved through the outer office and opened another door and waved me inside. I held my head high and gave him a haughty look as I teetered on my spindly heels past him and into the inner office. I collapsed into the first chair I saw and sat silently, determined not to speak until he did.  
  
"What are you doing here, Mac?" He sat down behind his desk and finally spoke in a tightly controlled voice.  
  
"Catherine decided that you could use my help." I said brightly. I wasn't above sharing the blame.  
  
"So you're saying this was her idea?" He scoffed at the notion.  
  
"You knew she was sending someone in to work with you. You're just angry because it's me. And okay, I admit that I forced my way into this project, but you might as well accept it because you know that I'm not going anywhere until it's finished."  
  
Our eyes met and we stared at each other for a full minute without either of us wavering. He took in my stubborn expression and finally let out an exasperated sigh and said with resignation, "I'm not angry, but you shouldn't be here. This is crazy, Mac."  
  
"I promise I won't get in your way, Boss. I'll just blend into the scenery while you're busy seducing the socks off Ms. Mitchell." I smiled gamely and crossed my legs and then tugged at my skirt where it had crawled indecently up my legs.  
  
He noticed my attempt at modesty, arched one eyebrow and openly looked me up and down before commenting, "That's some scenery. So, what's with the outfit?"  
  
I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, according to those in charge of this operation, my blatant attempts to be sexy will dazzle all the men and irritate all the women, and as a result no one will take me seriously. Then while you are busy keeping Ms. Mitchell occupied, I can snoop around and no one will notice. At least that's the way they explained it to me." I tried to sound more confident than I felt about pulling off this look.  
  
"And just how am I supposed to stay focused on seducing the socks off Ms. Mitchell if you are walking around dressed like that?" He got up and walked around the desk and pulled me out of my chair and into his arms. I relaxed for the first time since I'd arrived at the building, and the look on his face was making me feel more confident by the minute.  
  
"Well Mr. Baldridge, I think we are both uniquely qualified for this challenge." I played with his lapels and smoothed my hands across his shoulders.  
  
"Is that right?" He fingered a strand of my blonde wig.  
  
"Absolutely. I've had years of practice watching you seduce other women, while you've had years of practice resisting my obvious charms. This will be just like old times."  
  
"Mac, that's not true-," he started to protest then broke off suddenly before asking, "By the way, what should I be calling you?"  
  
"Good question. My name is Hannah McIntire." I paused for effect and then added, "But you can call me Mac." I grinned at him and pushed out of his arms. "I better get out of here. We don't want the interview to be so long that it seems suspicious."  
  
"Some other applicants are supposed to be coming in just to make things look legitimate, but we still have things we need to discuss." He let me go and walked with me through the outer office and to the door.  
  
"I know." I stopped to face him and added, "I have some instructions from Catherine that I need to go over with you, too."  
  
"Why don't you come to my apartment tonight around six? Do you have my address? It's just down the road."  
  
"As a matter of fact I know exactly where it is, since I'm living in an apartment practically next door to yours."  
  
He looked startled at that bit of news. "You don't think that will look a little suspicious?"  
  
"Not really-since I am sharing mine with my boyfriend."  
  
His expression changed from startled to annoyed. "Your boyfriend? Let me guess. Webb?"  
  
"Actually I'm not sure. Have you noticed that Catherine likes surprises? I was just told that he would make contact tonight, so why don't you come to my place instead--apartment 252. I'm going to go home now, change out of these shoes and then make a trip to the grocery store. If you're nice I'll even cook dinner."  
  
"Okay," he agreed but then added somewhat sourly, "But I'll bet it's Webb."  
  
"Bye, Harry. I'll see you tonight." I patted him on the cheek and then walked out the door. Things had gone better than I'd hoped, and there was an extra sway in my hips as I made my way down the hall. So what if I stumbled over my ridiculous shoes before I had even taken ten steps? I ignored the sound of Harm's smothered laughter and sailed regally out of the building feeling lighter than I had in weeks.  
  
To be continued- 


	6. Chapter Six

Dancing in the Dark-Part 6  
  
The apartment that I would call home for the next few weeks was new and sterile and decorated in early modern ugly. White walls surrounded beige carpeting. The sofa was a stick to your skin affair in teal leatherette. The coffee table was a chrome and glass coffin-like box. The floor lamps were black metal torches that would probably go up in flames in the time it took you to read a magazine, and the bedroom was even worse. A blonde dresser with an attached mirror was on one wall and matching nightstands were on either side of a queen sized bed. From the looks of the orange and teal striped bedspread, a fruit vendor somewhere was missing his awning.  
  
The bed had me a little concerned about the eventual appearance of my 'boyfriend'. Some men's clothes were hanging in the closet and one of the dresser drawers was filled with socks and boxer shorts. I didn't know if the clothes had been delivered with the furniture of if he had actually been staying there a while before I arrived. Whoever he was I hoped he liked the smell of leatherette in the morning because it looked like that's where he would be sleeping from now on.  
  
Catherine had arranged to have the place furnished so besides the furniture the linen closets held towels and sheets and the kitchen was fully equipped too. I spent the afternoon unloading everything from my car. It had taken umpteen trips to lug in the groceries and all of my personal stuff which included my new wardrobe. But it was all neatly put away now, and I had nothing to do but cook and wait for Harm. Despite the circumstances I could barely wait to see him. I was pathetically in love.  
  
I was stirring a big pot of vegetable soup when I heard a knock on the door. I grabbed a dish towel and wiped my hands as I walked over to answer it. Harm stood there looking all casual and gorgeous in blue jeans and a black long sleeved t-shirt.  
  
He was smiling and twirling a dandelion between his fingers and he said, "Excuse me. I was looking for a sexy blonde that applied for a job at my office today, but I must have the wrong apartment."  
  
"You're really funny." I had ripped off the wig and thrown on jeans and a large loose oversized sweatshirt as soon as I got home.  
  
He laughed and held out the wilting flower to me as he came into the apartment. "This is for you, Mac."  
  
"A weed? You shouldn't have-really." I took it and headed back to the kitchen.  
  
He was right on my heels, and when I looked back over my shoulder my pulse quickened at the predatory look in his eyes.  
  
"Hey that's not just any weed," he protested. "I picked it from that patch of grass that's growing out in front of our apartments." I turned around to find him invading my space when he murmured, "That means it came from our front yard."  
  
"Imagine that." I would've come up with a better response but my brain was scrambled from the way his hooded eyes were staring at me as he marched me insistently backwards.  
  
I came to a sudden stop when the back of my legs met the kitchen cabinets, and he picked me up and sat me on the counter before spreading my legs and stepping between them. "So," he insisted softly, "that means it's special."  
  
My hands went to his shoulders for balance, and the dish towel fell to the floor. "Very special," I agreed huskily as I tucked the dandelion behind his ear.  
  
His eyes were intense and a smoky green and they were heating up the kitchen better than the pot of soup on the stove.  
  
"God, I've missed you. Come here, Mac." His mouth was relentless as it found mine. His hands slipped under my sweatshirt as if they belonged there and the feel of his fingers against the bare skin of my back rocked me with desire. My legs wrapped around his rear end trapping him intimately against me, and I writhed in his arms-frustrated-needing more of him from the first touch.  
  
We were rough and greedy-scheming to find just the right caress that would keep reality at bay. Trying to strike a bargain that wouldn't penalize us for this stolen moment, but in the end it was no use.  
  
We were breathing hard, clinging to each other and he kept sneaking back for another kiss even as he scolded me. "This is not a good idea."  
  
"I know." I brushed my lips across his once and then twice before giving into temptation again.  
  
"I promise to resist you from now on." He was less than convincing as his palms skimmed my ribs.  
  
I arched into his touch and moaned. "I promise too."  
  
"Stop that," he pleaded with his forehead against mine.  
  
I ran my hand across his hair and down the back of his neck soothingly. "Put me down, then, so we can eat." I wasn't hungry but we had things to talk about and it sounded sensible. I tried to slide off the counter, but he was still too close so he lifted me into a fierce hug before setting me on the floor and moving away from me.  
  
I put a loaf of French bread and some soft cheese on a bread board and took it out to the dining room table. He started searching for soup bowls and utensils and turned as I walked back into the kitchen. "This looks great, Mac."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He ladled up the soup and carried it out to the table. I got a couple of bottles of water and joined him.  
  
We sat silently, not really eating since the soup was too hot, and we hadn't cooled off yet either. I picked at a piece of bread. Harm stared into his bowl as if it held important answers.  
  
Finally he looked up at me and said, "I know it was selfish but for my own sanity, I needed to remind myself of what's important in my life before we got too caught up in this charade."  
  
I reached out and covered his hand with mine as he continued.  
  
"So I won't apologize for anything that just happened. But after you start working at the office things will be different and sometimes the lines are going to blur between what's real and what's not. I don't know if Frankie Mitchell is guilty of anything yet, but it is my job to find out and if I have to do anything that hurts you, just remember that it's not real."  
  
"I'm a big girl, Harm, and I didn't come here to make this harder for you. I came here to help. No matter what happens or what you have to do, I'm with you. It's that simple."  
  
"I know I shouldn't be, but I'm glad you're here." He squeezed my hand.  
  
I smiled and suddenly felt hungry. He'd practically admitted that he needed me.  
  
"You know, I think it's about time I asked her out on a date." He looked grim.  
  
"I agree. That might be a good time for me to get into her office and look around. I also need to get friendly with the other people in the office building and see what the gossip has to say about her."  
  
"They probably won't say much. She seems like a lonely woman, Mac."  
  
"Well then, the gossip will say that she is besotted with the new handsome lawyer in her life--"  
  
I stopped talking and we both looked up at the sound of keys rattling. I was halfway out of my chair when the front door swung open and Victor Galindez came waltzing into the apartment.  
  
He stopped short when he first saw me but then broke into a big grin as he announced, "Hi honey, I'm home."  
  
To be continued-- 


	7. Chapter Seven

Part 7  
  
"Gunny?" I was surprised but happy to see him walk through the door. He was wearing a dark business suit with a red tie that made him look very handsome in an unGunny sort of way. I rarely saw him in civilian clothes.  
  
"Hello, ma'am. Sir, it's good to see you," he added quickly when he saw Harm.  
  
"You're the boyfriend?" Harm asked somewhat inanely.  
  
"Yes, sir." Gunny looked pleased at the prospect and winked at me.  
  
I smiled back. I trusted Victor, and even though this would definitely be an odd twist on our usual working relationship it would be much better than working with someone I didn't know. It seemed he was attached permanently to the CIA these days.  
  
"It's good to see you, too," Harm said as he walked over to shake his hand. "I thought you were still in South America."  
  
"I was until yesterday morning but the plans have been changed, so here I am."  
  
I asked him if he was hungry and offered him some soup.  
  
"I'm starving, ma'am. That sounds great." He dropped the small bag he was carrying onto the floor and took off his suit jacket.  
  
"You better lose the ma'am if you're going to be my boyfriend," I said. Gunny laughed and Harm rolled his eyes as I headed to the kitchen. I returned with another bowl of soup and joined them at the table and we all began to eat.  
  
"So," Harm asked between bites, "what is this about plans being changed?"  
  
"Well, your job is still to get close to Ms. Mitchell. That part hasn't changed. Ms. Gale still wants you to try to get her to trust you."  
  
"He's doing a great job," I offered. "You should see the way she looks at him."  
  
Harm shot me a warning look and asked, "So, what's different?"  
  
"They've decided to shake things up a bit by trying to make her nervous. If she's guilty it might force her to tip her hand."  
  
That was the most puzzling thing about this whole case. Frankie Mitchell led a solitary but seemingly exemplary life. She'd had a trouble free youth, been at the top of her class in college and law school, and had carved out an adequate practice for herself as a tax attorney. She lived modestly in this small town, was civic minded and had never even gotten a traffic ticket. Her life was the picture of a normal, average American life. But that also meant that no one would ever suspect her of being involved in anything as unlikely as terrorism, and so she would also be the perfect candidate if someone could manage to seduce her into helping them. Finding her name in the records smuggled out by Esmelda before her death wasn't conclusive on its own, but it couldn't be ignored either.  
  
Harm's initial rage at 'the lawyer in Maryland' seemed to have subsided once he'd met her and had now been replaced with his own questions about her guilt. It was clear from his early reports to Catherine that he was starting to believe that if she was involved it was only as an unwitting accomplice. I wasn't so sure, and I thought he sounded a bit too protective when he asked, "And just how do you plan to make her nervous?"  
  
Gunny pushed his empty soup bowl away and said, "Well, as you know the wire taps on her phone have turned up nothing so far, and before we do anything else the Colonel and I are going to get into her office one night soon and see if we can find anything incriminating. But unless we find a big fat file labeled Terrorist Contacts we are probably going to move on to plan B."  
  
"And what would that be?" I asked.  
  
"I'm going to start following her around town, ma'am-Mac." He grinned as he corrected himself. "And make sure that she notices me. Shortly after that she's going to start receiving some anonymous threatening phone calls. Then I am going to make a noisy entrance as your boyfriend at the office which will set off alarm bells when she realizes that I am the same man that has been following her around. That will make her suspicious of Mac, too, I'm afraid," he said to Harm. "But we want her to feel threatened and watched every minute of the day."  
  
"Well that will certainly scare her, but what will it prove?" Harm seemed a little indignant at the idea.  
  
"Well, if she's innocent we hope she will go to you for help, sir. From what I understand she doesn't seem to be close to anyone else."  
  
Harm thought about it and then nodded reluctantly in agreement. "That makes sense. Then I can get her to help me go through her files. She does work for several charities, and it's possible that someone has used her without her knowledge. It should be easy enough to spot the connection with her cooperation."  
  
"Exactly. But if she is guilty and she is knowingly involved with Sadiq then we assume she will try to make contact and let him know that there's a problem."  
  
"I don't think that will happen, but you're right. We have to be prepared." Harm really wanted to believe that she was a victim and for his sake I hoped it was true. It would make his role in this much easier for him to live with if he could somehow end up helping her instead of sending her to prison.  
  
"I am not questioning your estimation of Ms. Mitchell, sir. But Mac and I have to operate as if she's guilty, and I only hope that if any of Sadiq's men show up in town I'm able to spot them first because that's when things will really start to get dangerous," Gunny paused and looked pointedly at me then back to Harm, "for all of us."  
  
Harm's eyes narrowed as he said coolly, "You don't need to remind me of how dangerous this is."  
  
"No sir," he answered, "I'm just letting you know that the welfare of my partner will be my first consideration."  
  
They sized each other up before Harm said with steel in his voice, "I'm counting on it."  
  
I might as well have been invisible. What was it about men and posturing? I stood up noisily to get their attention. "Don't worry about a thing, boys," I assured them grandly. "I've got both of your sixes covered this time."  
  
They both grinned and Harm said sheepishly, "Sorry, Mac."  
  
Gunny stood up too and stretched. "Boy, I'm beat. I've been up since four this morning. If you don't mind I think I'm going to go to bed." He picked up his bowl and took it into the kitchen.  
  
I followed him and asked, "So Gunny, what am I supposed to call you?"  
  
Harm walked in carrying the other two bowls and put them in the sink, and we both waited for his answer.  
  
We trailed each other back into the living room as he started rattling off the details of his make believe life. "My name is Cente Zamora. I'm in sales-communication systems. The home office is in Baltimore but most days I just call on customers so I am free to have lunch whenever I want with my beautiful live-in lover-Hannah McIntire. She just started working for this lawyer, Harry Baldridge, and he is a very generous boss who doesn't mind if we take long leisurely lunches." All of his attention was focused on me and his voice was deep and intimate until he glanced over at Harm and asked, "Do you, Harry?"  
  
Harm glared and said, "I think you are enjoying certain parts of this assignment a little too much, Cente."  
  
"I'm just trying to get into character, Harry, but I will make you one promise." I felt invisible again as the two men faced each other.  
  
"What's that?" Harm met his gaze head on.  
  
I was starting to get irritated at whatever macho game they thought they were playing, and I was ready to knock both of their heads together.  
  
"Sir, I may have to do some underhanded things on this assignment-and I may have to do some things I would never do in my real life. For instance I know that I'm going to have to kiss the Colonel and show her a great deal of public affection to make our story believable. And I can promise you right now that I plan to enjoy every minute of it."  
  
His grin was cocky as all get out as he picked up his bag from the floor and headed out of the room. Harm and I both were staring after him when he stopped suddenly and walked back to where I stood rooted in place. "I forgot something," he said softly. He kissed me on the cheek, whispered, "Night Hannah," and disappeared into the bedroom.  
  
To be continued-- 


	8. Chapter Eight

Part Eight  
  
Harm walked into the front bathroom without saying a word. I heard the sound of cabinet and closet doors opening and closing, and then he came out with an arm full of linens.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked.  
  
"I'm making up the couch." He smoothed a sheet over the fake leather and started tucking it into the cushions.  
  
"You don't have to do that." I protested.  
  
"Oh yes I do. There is no way you are sharing a bed with him."  
  
"Harm, you're being silly," I said though I actually thought it was sweet.  
  
He ignored me and spread out a white blanket across the lavender sheets. "It needs a pillow," he said. Then he knocked once on the bedroom door, barged inside, grabbed a pillow off the bed and came back out with it before Victor could say a word.  
  
I took the orange and teal striped pillow from him, wondering fleetingly where they'd found sheets to match that god-awful bedspread, and put it on the couch. I wrapped my arms around his waist and said, "Thank you."  
  
"For what," he asked gruffly as he stood stiffly in my embrace.  
  
"For caring and not trying to hide it." I reached up and kissed him on the chin.  
  
"I'm tired of hiding it," he said as he finally relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.  
  
"Me too," I mumbled into his chest. I gave him a squeeze and sat down on the white fuzzy blanket, pulling him with me.  
  
"I could sleep here," he offered while nuzzling my neck.  
  
"I like the sound of that," I gasped as his tongue found my ear.  
  
"And you could go to my apartment and sleep in my bed," he murmured.  
  
"What's fun about that?" I complained.  
  
"You'd be more comfortable, and I like the idea of smelling you on my sheets." His low voice vibrated close to my ear, and it was all I could do not to moan.  
  
"Your legs would hang off the end of this thing, and I smell like vegetable soup."  
  
"It's smells good on you." His mouth was inches from mine. "Makes me hungry."  
  
I closed my eyes, expecting his kiss, but it didn't come.  
  
When I reopened my eyes he was studying me carefully.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked huskily.  
  
"I'm practicing resisting you." His eyes were focused on my mouth and it somehow felt like he was kissing me anyway.  
  
My breath caught in my throat, and I licked my lips as I imagined how he tasted.  
  
His eyes flared with desire and he said a little desperately, "I better get out of here." He stood up quickly and laced his fingers with mine. "Walk me to the door."  
  
I held onto his hand as if it was the only connection to him I had left. We were about to change partners in this crazy dance of intrigue, and deceit and I was reluctant to let him go. But there was no turning back, and I wanted this thing to be over with quickly. Our life was waiting for us somewhere on the other side of this masquerade, and I was willing to dance with the devil himself if it would help.  
  
"Night Mac." His thumb brushed the back of my hand.  
  
I pulled my hand away from his in an act of faith that everything would be alright and smiled at the man I loved. "Night Harm."  
  
Tomorrow he could be Harry.  
  
**  
  
I was sitting at my desk bright and early Monday morning. Harm had dropped off the keys and some general instructions for opening the office when he had stopped by my apartment on Saturday morning, but then I hadn't seen him since. All of my pencils were sharpened. My fake files were alphabetized and my appointment book was open and ready to face the day. My boss, however, still hadn't made an appearance. Apparently Harry Baldridge was no more of a morning person than Harmon Rabb Jr. According to his appointment book he did have several clients coming in that day. I assumed they were set up by Catherine so we would have some traffic. It might look suspicious if I sat and did nothing but filed my nails all day.  
  
I had chosen a 'conservative' outfit for my first day on the job. A simple winter white pleated skirt was paired with a fuchsia turtleneck. I had decided to go with a short curly red wig in honor of Frankie Mitchell. If Harm liked redheads I could be a redhead too. The skirt was too short and the turtleneck was too tight but my feet were having a holiday in a pair of flat pink ballet style slippers. The three inch heels that Webb had picked out to go with this ensemble were languishing in my closet and that was where they would stay. I had rebelliously taken time on Saturday afternoon to go shopping for shoes-flat shoes and lots of them.  
  
People, mainly men, kept dropping by to introduce themselves. It was a very friendly building. Johnny Mortensen from the accounting office down the hall was sitting on the edge of my desk. Rodney Stiles an insurance agent was occupying one of the chairs provided for waiting clients and was trying to convince me to join them on the patio around noon for lunch. I had already agreed and had tried to shoo them out of the office, but they just sat there and kept talking. I had already learned that Kelly Lynn Sanders a secretary in office 115 was pregnant with her second child. I should watch out for Mickey Cornell because he would try to hit on me and he was a real sleaze bag. Gloria Randall ran the front office for the food bank on the other side of the building and she was a doll. I would love Gloria they assured me. Everyone loved Gloria. And people thought women liked to gossip.  
  
No one had mentioned Frankie Mitchell, and I didn't want to be too obvious. Maybe I could find out something at lunch.  
  
Just then the door opened and Harry came in whistling "Love is a Many Splendored Thing". I found that a little irritating since I hadn't seen him since his date with Frankie on Saturday night and I was ready to be irritated by any and all signs that he'd had a good time. He stopped short when he saw the men draped around my desk and said, "So, gentlemen, I see you have met my new assistant, Ms. McIntire."  
  
"We were just introducing ourselves, Harry." Rodney explained enthusiastically. Johnny jumped up from the edge of the desk and added, "Just welcoming her to the building."  
  
"I appreciate that, guys. Very nice of you, but if you will excuse us-we have some work to do."  
  
"Sure thing. We'll get out of your hair. We were just convincing Hannah to have lunch with us out on the patio. You should join us."  
  
"I would love to, but I'm afraid I have a lunch date today." He looked knowingly at the two men and they punched him on the shoulder and winked and gave him a thumbs up 'Way to go, Harry' kind of signal as they backed out of the office. I got the impression that they didn't have lunch dates very often.  
  
The door closed behind them, and Harry-I was determined to think of him as Harry-turned around to give me the once over.  
  
"Are you going to have a different hair color every day?" He seemed kind of grumpy now that we were alone.  
  
And why was he complaining about my hair? He hadn't seen me for two days and that was the first thing he said to me?  
  
"I'm supposed to be flamboyant." I touched my wig self consciously.  
  
He snorted in what I considered to be a rude manner and headed for his office.  
  
"Don't you want to hear how Gunny and I spent Saturday night?"  
  
"I can't wait," he said sourly. "Come on into my office."  
  
I followed him in and sat down. "Well, since we knew Frankie had gone out with you, we broke into her office."  
  
That got his attention. He seemed anxious to know what we'd found. "And?"  
  
"Well, we got all dressed up in our black sneaky spy outfits and skulked around, but we didn't find anything. But then again we didn't really expect to. That would have been too easy."  
  
"So I guess that means Plan B goes into effect?" He sighed. He still didn't like the idea of scaring her.  
  
"Gunny-I mean Cente-will start following her today."  
  
"Alright. I am having lunch with her at Oregano's at twelve thirty. Why don't you let him know that we'll be there."  
  
"Okay, I'll be sure to let him know." I was the picture of cool detachment as I plastered a fake smile on my face and got up to leave.  
  
"Hey Mac. Don't you want to hear how I spent Saturday night?"  
  
I plopped myself back down into the chair with what I hoped wasn't a world weary sigh and said, "Go ahead, Romeo. Fill me in on all the gory details."  
  
He leaned back and tilted his head to one side as he reminisced about the night. "Well, when I went to pick her up she met me at the door in a black filmy negligee."  
  
I picked up a file folder off his desk and threw it at him. He was laughing as I turned to stomp out of the room.  
  
Frankie Mitchell was standing in the doorway watching us, and she didn't seem amused.  
  
To be continued. 


	9. Chapter Nine

Part Nine  
  
"Frankie!" Harm bolted out of his seat and was around the desk in no time. I barely got out of his way as he barreled past me to reach her side. "How are you this morning?"  
  
"I'm just fine. Thank you, Harry." She gazed at him adoringly, and I was flooded with relief when I realized that she hadn't heard his last remark to me. From now on we would have to be more careful. This morning she was dressed in another shapeless gauzy dress-this one was black, and her long red hair was pulled up on top of her head. Loose tendrils floated around her face giving her a soft rosy aura.  
  
My cheap red wig was suddenly giving me a headache, and I felt completely unnecessary as they cooed and billed at each other. I decided to make myself useful and started gathering the scattered papers from the file I'd thrown at him. They were all over the desk and the floor, and I was on my hands and knees behind the desk trying to reach a page that had floated underneath when I heard him say, "I don't think you have been formally introduced to my new assistant, have you?"  
  
Before I could react he peered under the desk and said, "Come on out, Mac, and let me introduce you to our neighbor." Harm acted as if it was normal for me to be crawling around on the floor.  
  
I backed out from under the desk and smiled winningly. "Hi," I said as I struggled to my feet. I pulled my skirt down to a respectable level, clutched the haphazardly gathered file to my chest, and walked around the desk to greet her.  
  
"Hannah McIntire, you remember Frankie Mitchell. She's an attorney, and she has the office next door," Harm smiled at her as if that was special.  
  
"How do you do?" I said in my best Grace Kelly voice. I held out my hand, dropping more papers when I did and added, "Please call me Mac."  
  
She shook my hand reluctantly and said neutrally, "Nice to meet you, Ms McIntire."  
  
Harm bent down and picked up a few of the wayward sheets, stuffed them back into my arms, and informed her conspiratorially, "She doesn't think much of my filing system."  
  
She laughed as if the two of them were sharing a very funny joke at my expense.  
  
"Excuse me," I said stiffly. "I have some work to do before your ten o'clock appointment gets here, Mr. Baldridge."  
  
"Thank you, Mac." He dismissed me and ushered her into a chair before returning to his own.  
  
I pulled the door shut most of the way but then I hovered outside so I could hear what they were saying, and I didn't feel the least bit guilty. It had absolutely nothing to do with jealousy either. After all, it was part of my undercover-- sworn to watch Harm's six--duty to listen.  
  
"Harry, she threw a file at you!" she sounded outraged on his behalf.  
  
He laughed and said, "She got a little carried away. She's just high spirited and very opinionated. I admire that."  
  
She obviously didn't share his admiration, but her voice was as sweet as sugar when she asked, "Are you sure hiring her was such a good idea?"  
  
"She has great references. The lawyers at her last firm hated to lose her."  
  
"I bet. They were probably all men," she said sarcastically.  
  
That was met by silence until he finally said, "Actually, her immediate supervisor was a woman, and I can assure you that she is well qualified for the job." He sounded impatient with her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said contritely. "It's really none of my business."  
  
"Let's not talk about her anymore." I was startled when the door opened just enough for Harm to wink at me before he shut it the rest of the way. "Are we still on for lunch?" I heard him ask as he moved away from the door.  
  
I walked back to my desk and sat down. I started to straighten out the jumbled file I was still clutching when I realized it was filled with blank sheets of paper. The irritating sound of her laughter drifted out from his closed office door, so I invented my own filing system and threw the crumpled pages into the trashcan with a satisfying thunk. I wasn't even going to pretend to be busy. He couldn't fire me, and she already thought I was a bimbo. I turned the volume up on the small radio that sat on my desk, crossed my legs and pulled out a fingernail file from my purse. I began furiously filing my nails while I hummed along loudly to some sad country song. Something about my lover's under the covers with another and this bed ain't big enough for the three of us--  
  
**  
  
I knocked on the door of Harm's apartment impatiently. I knew he was going out that night and I had learned a few things of interest during my lunch on the patio--things I hadn't wanted to discuss at the office. Gossip as an undercover tool was highly underrated. I knocked again this time harder. His car was still in the parking lot so I knew he was still home.  
  
The door finally opened a crack and he peeked out at me. "What do you want, Mac?"  
  
"I need to talk to you." I impatiently pushed on the door but it wouldn't budge. "Let me in, Harry. It's important."  
  
Sighing he walked away, allowing me to follow him inside. He was walking towards his bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. It took me a moment to process the picture he made. Long muscular legs, strong bare arms, a broad back with little water droplets still clinging to his smooth skin. I stopped and stared like a kid at her first carnival.  
  
He turned around and caught me looking and smirked. "I'm getting ready to go out so if you want to talk you'll have to do it while I'm shaving."  
  
"That's fine," I chirped in a voice that sounded like a chipmunk. I followed him into the steamy bathroom and sat down on the toilet seat. I watched as he slathered shaving cream over his face and neck. His hair was still wet from his shower and mussed from being dried with a towel. His chest was nice and hairy-just the right amount of hair. The way his biceps bulged as he moved the razor across his face was just right. The way the towel fit snugly across his rear end as he leaned forward across the sink to get closer to the mirror was just right. Everything about him was just right. Feeling like Goldilocks, I sat mesmerized, my gaze drifting down to his bare feet and up his long legs and his cute little knees and strong thighs that disappeared under that lucky towel--  
  
"Well? What did you need to tell me?" His voice startled me and I jerked my eyes back to his face. His eyes were dancing with amusement so I tried for a nonchalant tone.  
  
"I found out some things about Frankie at lunch today, and I already have Catherine checking into it, but I wanted to tell you about it before you went out with her tonight."  
  
"Ok. Let's hear it." His eyes met mine in the mirror as he continued to shave.  
  
"Well, I was talking to Gloria-the woman that runs the food bank-and apparently she has known Frankie forever. They grew up together and even went to the same college. Have you met Gloria? Everyone seems to love Gloria"  
  
"I've met her, and yes, she seems very nice. Can we get back to what you found out?"  
  
"Sorry. Gloria was pumping me for information about you. Everyone is buzzing about the new handsome lawyer in the building and especially about the interest you are showing in Frankie."  
  
"So far this just sounds like normal gossip." He scooped some shaving cream off his face with his finger and dabbed it on the end of my nose.  
  
"Quit interrupting," I protested as I wiped the suds away with the back of my hand. "Anyway-Gloria said that you are the first man Frankie has shown any interest in since she lost Ben, so naturally that has made everyone curious."  
  
"Who's Ben?"  
  
"She hasn't mentioned him to you?"  
  
"No, but then we haven't discussed our past relationships yet."  
  
"Apparently he was the love of her life, and he disappeared a few years ago. Gloria didn't say what happened but everyone assumes that he's dead."  
  
"And?" He stopped shaving and turned to face me.  
  
"Gloria didn't give me specifics and I didn't want to seem overly interested, so Catherine is going to try to find out the details. All I know is that he was from somewhere in the Middle East and he came here to attend college. They met because they were both active in some campus charitable organization and according to Gloria once they started seeing each other they were inseparable. It's not much, but this could be the connection we've been looking for Harm."  
  
He seemed lost in thought as he wiped the remaining lather from his face. "You're right, Mac. This could be important. Tonight I'll see if she'll open up to me about her past. I'll tell her the sad story of my love life and maybe she will tell me hers."  
  
He rinsed his face with water and then walked out of the bathroom, leaving me sitting there thinking about what he had to do next. This could blow a big hole in his belief that she was an innocent bystander in all of this, but he seemed to be taking it in stride. As with everything else we'd learned this new information didn't prove anything by itself and if I knew one thing about Harm it was that finding the truth was always the most important thing to him-wherever that might lead us.  
  
I got up and followed him into the bedroom. He was rummaging around in the top drawer of his dresser-a nice heavy mission style dresser that didn't lean to one side the way the one in my apartment did. Everything about his bedroom was a far cry from mine. A king sized bed in the same mission style filled the space and it was covered in a bone and gray tapestry spread that was both elegant and masculine. Catherine probably picked it out personally. I flopped down on the big bed and watched him as he decided on just the right pair of boxer shorts to wear. Harm-on the few occasions when I had been lucky enough to see him in his underwear-wore plain white utilitarian boxers. Harry on the other hand owned a variety of styles and colors, and he finally settled on a blue and green plaid pair that would set off his eyes just perfectly.  
  
Sighing I asked, "So what sad story are you going to tell her about your love life? The one where the video Princess leaves you to marry a mortician?"  
  
He disappeared into the walk-in closet carrying his boxer shorts. A second later a wet towel flew out and hit me in the chest. Grinning he came out wearing the boxer shorts and sat down beside me on the bed. I had been right. They did set off his eyes perfectly. "I thought I would tell her the one about a certain female Marine officer that I chased after for seven years."  
  
"That is a sad story. I guess you should have learned to run faster." I had been so good up until now. I hadn't touched him once since I'd entered his apartment, but he was so close and he was looking at me with those perfect eyes, and I couldn't help myself. I ran my hand across his bare chest enjoying the course texture of his hair against my fingers.  
  
His breath hitched in his throat and the muscles in his stomach flexed as my hand automatically drifted lower. He caught it and said, "I better finish getting dressed." Even as he said it he grabbed me into a hug and my face was buried against his warm clean smelling skin.  
  
"Wear something that makes you look short and dumpy-maybe a shirt with horizontal stripes," I mumbled against his chest.  
  
He laughed and said, "I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Oh it doesn't matter. You'll look gorgeous no matter what you wear." I pushed myself away from him and got off the bed. I needed to put some distance between us before I embarrassed myself by throwing him down and having my way with him. I headed toward the door but looked back to where he was still sitting on the bed and added, "Just make sure she doesn't see you like that."  
  
I stopped suddenly when I heard a knock at the front door. His eyebrows went up and he shrugged as if to say he had no idea who it could be. He grabbed a pair of jeans off the chair by the bed and pulled them on in a hurry. I stayed in the bedroom while he went to look out the peep hole. He threw open the door, and Gunny walked inside.  
  
"What's up, Gunny?"  
  
"I just wanted to let you know that everything is going as planned. I followed Ms. Mitchell home this evening. And then I sat in front of her house and made sure she saw me when she got out of her car to go inside. She looked a little worried after seeing me at lunch today and then again this evening. I'll follow her again tomorrow."  
  
I came out of the bedroom while he was filling Harm in on the situation. He glanced at me and then at Harm's state of undress and hesitated before continuing, "The threatening phone calls will start tomorrow too, so if we're lucky she will be asking for your help very soon."  
  
"Good work, Gunny. She's cooking dinner for me tonight so I'll have a chance to see if her mood has changed since this afternoon." Harm looked at me and then back to Gunny. "There has been some new information, but I'll let Mac tell you all about it."  
  
"We better get out of here so he can finish getting ready for his date," I said to Gunny. "What do you want to do about dinner?"  
  
"Funny you should ask," he said as he threw a companionable arm around my shoulder. "I am cooking dinner for the two of us tonight. I don't think you've been taking care of yourself lately."  
  
"Why Gunny, I didn't know you could cook!" I suddenly noticed that Harm was rooted in place and hadn't moved so I said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Harm. Good luck with Frankie tonight."  
  
"Thanks," he said a little sarcastically as he continued to stare at the two of us.  
  
"How does steak, baked potatoes, and Caesar salad sound? Nothing fancy, but you strike me as a meat eater." Gunny grinned at me and then he grinned quite deliberately at Harm, but Harm didn't smile back.  
  
I opened the front door, moved out from under his arm and threw a half smile at Harm. "Sounds great, Gunny. What are we waiting for?"  
  
"Let's go," Gunny agreed and added as he started closing the door behind us. "And then later I'll tuck you into bed and tell you another bedtime story like I did last night."  
  
The words were barely out of his mouth when the door was jerked out of his grasp and Harm stood glowering in the doorway. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
To be continued 


	10. Chapter Ten

Part Ten  
  
Gunny looked back then turned to fully face Harm. "She was having trouble sleeping," he said with only a trace of challenge in his voice. "So I did what I could to help."  
  
"By telling her bedtime stories?" Harm scoffed.  
  
"Right after I fluffed her pillows." Gunny took a step toward him not backing down.  
  
"It was more like two Marines in a foxhole sharing war stories." I offered helpfully but they both ignored me.  
  
"Sounds cozy." Harm voice was dripping with sarcasm as he took a step toward Gunny.  
  
I'd had enough and moved in between them and put a hand on Harm's chest. "Harm, it's nothing. You know I have trouble sleeping."  
  
"Mac, we need to talk." He grabbed my hand where it rested on his chest.  
  
I pulled my hand from his and patted him soothingly. "No we don't. You need to go. You'll be late for your date."  
  
"Wait up for me." He was using that soft gravelly voice that frequently usurped my free will.  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Actually it was a great idea- the best idea I'd heard all day, but I dug deep and resisted. I thought maintaining a little distance was necessary. He needed to focus on Frankie- not me. "I'll just see you at the office tomorrow."  
  
Harm looked at me and his expression was a mixture of helplessness and frustration and longing. "Mac-"  
  
"Good night, Harry." Sometimes I needed to remind myself of who he was supposed to be right now.  
  
I retreated to my apartment with Gunny at my heels leaving Harm standing in his doorway staring after us. As soon as we were inside I turned on him and asked impatiently, "Why do you keep doing that?"  
  
He didn't pretend that he didn't know what I was talking about. "I'm making sure he remembers what's most important to him."  
  
"And how would you know what that is?"  
  
"Come on, Mac. I've worked with the two of you for years, and don't forget I was there when he showed up in Paraguay to find you. Even when he's busy saving the world you're always the most important thing to him. Everyone knows that."  
  
"And he's the most important thing to me too," I insisted fiercely. "That's the reason I'm here."  
  
"I know. It's good to see the two of you finally figuring things out." Gunny smiled at me and headed for the kitchen.  
  
"So why are you giving him such a hard time?"  
  
I followed him and watched as he pulled out a big wooden bowl from the cabinet. He got lettuce out of the refrigerator and washed it and then patted it dry on paper towels. "Because he's a real sucker for any damsel in distress, and in this case I think he really wants Frankie Mitchell to be innocent. But the truth is that she may turn out to be guilty as hell, and I just think he needs to keep his eye on the big picture. "  
  
"And what would that be?" I asked.  
  
"He needs to find out if Frankie Mitchell is involved-without getting invested in the outcome-and then he needs to get back to his real life just as fast as he can." He found a clove of garlic and peeled it. "He's not cut out for the ethical compromises this job requires."  
  
I jumped when he whacked the peeled garlic with the flat of a big knife and asked him, "And you are? After what happened in Afghanistan how can you say that? You weren't exactly objective then." I thought of that dead young woman that he had so obviously been in love with.  
  
Gunny looked up from rubbing the garlic around in the wooden bowl and said thoughtfully, "No, I wasn't, so that means I know what I'm talking about. But I don't have anything waiting for me on the outside. If I did it might be different."  
  
That made me sad, and I didn't know how to respond.  
  
He put down the bowl and turned to where I was leaning against the counter. "The Commander may act jealous, but the bottom line is that he knows I'll watch your back and he knows I would never take advantage of you. So even though he may not act like it, he's really glad I'm here. In some weird way it makes it easier for him to do what he has to do."  
  
"So when you flirt with me you're actually bonding with Harm in a convoluted male macho kind of way?"  
  
"You could say that." He tore off a piece of lettuce and popped it in my mouth. "You need to eat more vegetables."  
  
"Did Harm pay you to say that?" I wrinkled my nose as I chewed.  
  
He grinned. "Stop complaining or you won't get any steak. Now get out of here and let me finish cooking."  
  
**  
  
It was Friday. Finally. As my first and only official act as office manager I declared it to be casual Friday and put on a pair of black pants and a plain white button down shirt that I didn't bother to tuck in. I did have orange Mary Janes on my feet and a Harpo Marx blonde curly wig on my head but everything in between was conservative and simple.  
  
The week had dragged by due to a lack of real clients and a lack of progress in the case. Harm hadn't been around much and when he was we had been distant with each other. He was actually in DC this morning meeting with Catherine Gale. They were going to go over her intel and combine it with whatever he had learned about Ben from Frankie-which wasn't much-and reevaluate our plan. I was on my way to talk to Gloria Randall again. So far she had been my best source of information.  
  
I opened the door to the food bank and found two Middle Eastern men in an agitated conversation with Gloria. They looked up as I entered and they quickly excused themselves. She looked upset but she did a decent job of hiding it as she greeted me. "Good morning, Hannah." Her usual cheery smile didn't quite reach her eyes.  
  
"Is everything okay?" I couldn't just assume that these men had anything to do with Sadiq but I couldn't afford to ignore the possibility either.  
  
"Of course-everything's fine. They were just a couple of unsatisfied customers. Donations are down right now." She changed the subject and asked me, "How is that handsome boss of yours?"  
  
"He's out of town this morning, but he'll be back this afternoon." I noticed that her eyes kept darting nervously to the door.  
  
She waved me into a chair and said as she sat down behind her desk. "I guess he's still spending all of his free time with Frankie. I'm surprised she hasn't scratched your eyes out yet."  
  
My eyes widened at that remark. "Well, she doesn't seem to particularly like me."  
  
"No, I imagine she doesn't. The idea of Harry working with a beautiful woman is bound to drive her crazy. When she was with Ben she was very possessive."  
  
"Really? Well, she has nothing to worry about. I already have a boyfriend."  
  
"That wouldn't matter to her. If Ben so much as looked at another woman they would have these loud awful arguments right in front of everyone."  
  
"I can't imagine Harry putting up with that."  
  
"Maybe she learned her lesson. I always thought that her jealousy would have driven him away eventually even if he hadn't been killed and since he's been gone she's thrown herself into her work. It's been her whole life. She even donates her services to the food bank. We couldn't afford a lawyer that puts in the kind of time that she does. I'm really grateful for her help."  
  
"Harry told me that she was involved with lots of different charities. I admire her dedication."  
  
"Me too, and things are finally looking promising for her personally too. I hope for her sake she finally finds the happiness she deserves."  
  
I nodded and smiled bravely. This was going to turn out ugly for someone.  
  
"Hey Hannah, a bunch of us from the building are going to Muscatel's tonight around eight. Why don't you and your boyfriend join us?"  
  
"That sounds like fun. I'll ask him, but I better get back to work before the boss gets back and finds an empty office." I stood up and walked to the door.  
  
"Okay. I'll see you later." She stood also but even before I shut the door she seemed to be a million miles away.  
  
Something was bothering Gloria and it was bothering her a lot. Was it possible that she was involved in this too? Or maybe she was the one using Frankie, and Harm had been right about her innocence all along. I needed to call Gunny and tell him to be on the look out for Sadiq's men. I just had a feeling that something was going to happen and it was going to happen soon.  
  
**  
  
Harm came hurrying through the door around two in the afternoon. I had been going crazy waiting for him to get back to the office. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced that Gloria could very well be involved somehow in this mess.  
  
"Mac, we need to go over these notes I got from Catherine. Come on into my office," he said as he barreled past me.  
  
"I need to talk to you too." He barely glanced at me as he loosened his tie and took off his jacket and threw it on a chair. I followed him in and closed the door behind me.  
  
"You go first," he said as he threw his briefcase down on his desk.  
  
"I think two of Sadiq's men might have been nosing around the food bank this morning and I am beginning to wonder if Gloria Randall is involved in this as well. If they are his men we need to find out what they're doing here. Frankie may have called Sadiq if she was getting nervous about Gunny and the phone calls. Did you find out anything new from Catherine?"  
  
"As a matter of fact I did." He looked up at me, and frowned a little before continuing. "You will find this very interesting. Sadiq had a brother that disappeared a few years ago. The assumption has been that he was killed on a mission that went bad. There is no real way to confirm that though. His name was Amin Ben Faud and he attended the same college as Frankie." He suddenly stopped and just stared at me. "What is that on your head?"  
  
"A wig," I said distractedly. I couldn't believe what he'd just told me. "Oh my gosh. This really is the connection we've been looking for."  
  
"Why are you always wearing wigs?" He stood up and was touching it tentatively, like he thought it might bite him.  
  
I shrugged, "I don't know. Webb picked them out so I'm wearing them."  
  
"Webb picked out your wigs? The man is odd."  
  
"He picked out my entire wardrobe for this operation. Harry," I said to remind him of where we were, "Do you think this means that Frankie is involved?"  
  
He ignored my question. He seemed fascinated by my head. "Webb playing dress up. That explains some of your more 'interesting' looks' I guess. He probably has some fetish about making a woman wear different wigs so he can pretend that she's someone different when they make love." He shook his head and played with one of the curls.  
  
"Do you want me to keep one of the wigs for the first time we make love?" I stopped trying to get him back on the subject. I mean after all we had just come up with our biggest break in the case yet, but if he wanted to talk about wigs, we would talk about wigs.  
  
He studied me for a minute and then walked back and sat behind his desk. "The first time we make love you won't be wearing anything and there will be nothing between us but sweat." His voice was like hot drippy caramel and his eyes impaled me with sharp flaring desire.  
  
My once dependable knees turned wobbly and I sat down suddenly and tried to find my voice. "So, what do you think about Frankie?"  
  
He sighed and dragged a hand over his face. "I've been trying not to think about her. I find myself going back and forth between hoping that she's guilty so I won't have to feel bad about deceiving her and hoping that she's innocent."  
  
I looked down at my hands and asked, "And if she is innocent?"  
  
"What do you mean?" He knew exactly what I meant.  
  
"You're the first person that she's opened up to in years. She trusts you. It's going to break her heart when she finds out the truth. Are you going to be able to just walk away from her?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
I looked up at his words and my heart scampered across his desk and fell into his hands. Very gently he whispered, "Come here, Mac."  
  
I walked around the desk and stood beside him as he sat in his chair. He grabbed my hand and brought the back of it against his cheek. "She will probably never want to speak to me again, but if she does, I think she might need a friend for just a little while."  
  
"Women aren't interested in just being friends with a man like you."  
  
He kissed the back of my hand, looked up at me and smiled. "Is that right?"  
  
"That's right. I tried it for years." I brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. "It's a bad idea."  
  
"Why is that?" He had turned his chair so I was standing between his legs.  
  
"Because you end up falling in love with them." His hands were on my hips and his face was level with my stomach. My hands were on his shoulders and he had nuzzled my shirt tail open enough to blow little puffs of hot breath on the bare skin at my waist. I was covered in goose bumps and I was two seconds away from jumping into his lap and attacking him when there was a brisk knock on the door. Of course it was Frankie and of course she opened the door before I could move away from Harm.  
  
We were all frozen in place like something out of an old melodrama. Frankie looked shocked and her mouth formed a perfect O as she stared at Harm with his face half buried in my stomach. Gloria's words about my eyes being scratched out came flooding back and since I didn't see any protective goggles within reach I did the next best thing. I started talking as fast as I could and started climbing for high ground.  
  
"Harry, if you will just sit still and boost me up, I can change that light bulb in no time." I clambered up and over him, using his lap and shoulders and even his head like rungs on a ladder until I was standing in the middle of his desk. Grinning triumphantly, I pulled the perfectly good fluorescent tube from its sockets and jabbed it in the air a few times for good measure. "The darn thing wouldn't stop buzzing," I announced to her proudly. I jumped down from the desk without assistance and kept the length of the tube between us as I scurried past her towards the door. "I'll just go see if maintenance has a replacement."  
  
Harm's hair was tousled and his shirt was rumpled as he said indignantly, "I told you to just call them in the first place." Turning to Frankie he said, "I'm beginning to think you were right about her."  
  
"Never mind that, Harry. I need your help." I was lingering right outside the door and she sounded scared.  
  
"What is it, Frankie." His voice was full of concern.  
  
"I think I'm in terrible trouble."  
  
To be continued-- 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Part Eleven  
  
"A man has been following me and I've been getting threatening phone calls."  
  
"Since when?" Harm asked.  
  
"About a week ago, I guess." She sounded close to tears.  
  
"Why didn't you say something before?"  
  
"I didn't want to bother you. And at first I thought it was just some kind of joke, but I don't anymore."  
  
It got quiet so I peeked around the door and I could see Harm hugging her trying to calm her down.  
  
"Have you called the police?" he asked gently.  
  
"No, I guess I should have instead of bothering you."  
  
"Don't be silly," he said soothingly. "Tell me what happened." .  
  
She looked nervous and said, "Not here. I hate to ask but could you take me home?"  
  
"Sure," he agreed quickly. "I need to give Mac some instructions before I go, so you go get your things and I'll meet you in just a minute."  
  
"Thanks, Harry. I don't know what I would do without you."  
  
I scampered out into the hallway and pretended to just be returning to the office as they came out of his arm in arm.  
  
"I'll wait for you in my office, Harry." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek and her eyes were full of gratitude.  
  
He smiled and said, "I won't be long."  
  
He waited until she was gone and asked me, "Did you hear?" I nodded and he said brusquely, "I have to go. One way or the other I think she's reached her breaking point."  
  
I agreed. She seemed genuinely upset, but that didn't mean that she was completely innocent either. I hoped Harm wouldn't let his guard down with her. "Call me later and fill me in."  
  
"I'll try." He seemed distracted and anxious to leave but then asked, "What are you going to be doing?"  
  
"Gunny and I will be at Muscatel's around eight. Gloria said a bunch of people from the building are getting together after work, and I want to keep an eye on her. If those two men I saw this morning are hanging around I want to know about it."  
  
He hesitated for just a moment with his hand on the door and said, "Be careful, Mac."  
  
I looked at him significantly and said, "You too, sailor."  
  
He winked at me and was gone.  
  
**  
  
The bar was dim and crowded. The music was sultry and seductive. Gunny's hands were on my rear end holding me against his body as we swayed to the music. My arms were wound around his neck and I was trying not to strangle him as I watched a particular couple across the room. I'd been surprised when Harm called just as we were leaving and said that they would be coming to the club too. After talking things over with him, Frankie had been determined to join her friends and not let anyone scare her into staying home. According to Harm she had no idea what the threatening caller wanted from her, but she had agreed to let him look at her files the next day. He was feeling confident that we were really close to finding what we were looking for and that the evidence would exonerate Frankie Mitchell completely, but of course until we were certain our charade would have to continue.  
  
Now he was sitting at a small table with her, and they were completely wrapped up in each other. She was leaning against him, talking into his ear to be heard over the noise, and he was smiling and nodding. Then he took her hand, pulled her to her feet and into his arms, and led her to the dance floor. She must have saved all of her shapeless dresses for the office because she was wearing a pale pink dress that was clinging to her in a desperate attempt to stay on her body. It was low cut and silky and the sight of Harm's hands on her bare back made me bury my face in the hollow of Gunny's neck.  
  
I'd felt duty bound to dress in a way that would live up to my reputation so I was wearing a long sleeved black halter top that had a plunging neckline that was tight across my breasts and left my mid drift bare. It was topped by a long black skirt that would have been impossible to walk in if it hadn't been split up to the middle of my thigh. My heels were high and my stockings were fishnets. I looked like a belly dancer in mourning. In a daring rebellious act, I had decided to go with my own hair instead of a wig. I was going to make Webb model every outfit including the wigs the next time I saw him.  
  
Gunny's reaction when I had walked out of the bedroom had been flattering though. "It's a good thing I don't have to keep my hands to myself tonight," he'd said teasingly.  
  
He looked dark and dangerous in a pair of black slacks and a soft black sweater and I must admit we made a noticeable pair as we'd entered Muscatel's arm in arm. We'd arrived early and since I didn't see anyone from the building there yet, we staked out a booth so we could see when Harm arrived with Frankie. Gunny had spent the day trying to track down the two men I had seen that morning, but he hadn't had any luck. I still thought they might show up tonight and by tomorrow Catherine was going to have extra surveillance on Gloria's house, Frankie's house and the office building. If Sadiq's men were in town it was more than the three of us could expect to handle alone.  
  
We sat on the side of the booth facing the door and Gunny's touch was possessive and frequent. Anyone glancing our way would assume we were lovers, and damn it, anyone who saw Harm and Frankie come through the front door of the bar a few minutes later would assume the same thing about them.  
  
Harm was wearing a navy blue shirt tucked into dark gray pants. His collar was open, and he had his arm around her protectively. Their conversation seemed intense, and he looked concerned. She seemed to be insisting they stay, and he finally seemed to relax and give in to her wishes. They made their way to a table, and he sat next to her, so close it seemed to me, that she might as well have been sitting in his lap. Even after they'd started dancing I hadn't been sure that they knew anyone else was around.  
  
So now Gunny and I were dancing too, and I was trying not to be too obvious as I watched them. But I was going to give Harm a stern talking to about proper spy etiquette the next time I got him alone. There was no way he could be aware of any potential lurking danger if all he did was gaze lovingly into her eyes. Just then he lifted his head and caught me staring. He acknowledged me with a raised eyebrow and a glare in the general direction of Gunny's hands on my backside. I was about to glare at the way his thumb was dangerously close to the side of her breast, but she said something just then and all of his attention returned to her.  
  
Other people from work started showing up, so I waved my hellos as they started to fill up the place. They were pulling tables together along with Harm and Frankie's so we could all sit together.  
  
Gunny whispered, "We should join them after this dance."  
  
"I know," I agreed reluctantly as I nuzzled his neck. "But I don't think Harm or Frankie will notice?"  
  
He ran his hands up my back until he reached my neck. He tilted my face back with his thumbs and gazed into my eyes. Just before he kissed the corner of my mouth he murmured softly, "One of them will."  
  
He was probably right. "Yes, she may make a scene if she recognizes you."  
  
"She wasn't the one I was talking about." He grinned and kissed the other corner of my mouth for good measure.  
  
I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. "Cente, I think your attempts at male bonding are being wasted at the moment."  
  
He laughed and twirled me around the floor.  
  
After the dance we approached the table and I introduced Gunny to the crowd. We sat down in the only empty seats directly across from Harry and Frankie.  
  
"Cente this is my boss, Harry Baldridge." They shook hands and Harry introduced him to Frankie. If she recognized Gunny she gave no sign, but then again the lighting in the club was really dim, and it was possible that she had never seen him this close.  
  
"Frankie is an attorney in the building also," I explained. Gloria came up just then and said, "You must be Hannah's boyfriend."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Gunny and I stood up and he shook her hand.  
  
"I'll have you know you are the envy of every man at this table," Gloria gushed. "She has caused quite a stir since she's been working for Harry."  
  
I thought I heard Frankie snort, but when I glanced at her she was smiling innocently.  
  
"I'm a lucky man," he agreed proudly and gave me a quick kiss. I was pretty sure it was Harm that snorted that time.  
  
"Why don't you dance with me and you can tell me all about yourself, Cente?" Before he could protest she dragged him out onto the dance floor. Other couples followed them and soon I was left alone at the table with Frankie and Harm.  
  
Frankie was whispering in Harm's ear again which I found to be quite rude considering that I was sitting right there. So I excused myself and said loudly, "I'm going to get something to drink."  
  
I made my way to the bar, and ordered a soda water with lime. While I was waiting I turned and scanned the area for any sign of the men I'd seen earlier. I just couldn't get over the feeling that we hadn't seen the last of them. I really wanted to know more about what Harm had learned too. But he was busy playing patty cake with Frankie and even Gunny seemed to be enjoying his dance with Gloria. She was giggling and blushing like a school girl. At least one of us still had our minds on the job I thought glumly.  
  
I turned back to the bar, and a deep familiar voice asked from behind me. "Did you lose your boyfriend?"  
  
I turned to face Harm. "Yes, he's easily distracted."  
  
"I bet he's not as distracted as you think." He ordered a beer and a glass of Merlot then turned and eyed my outfit. "Another one of Webb's creations?" he asked with a smirk.  
  
"Mmm hmm," I said noncommittally.  
  
He reached over and tugged my hair. "Where's the wig?"  
  
I gave him a go to hell look then admitted reluctantly, "It was long and black and straight, and it made me look like a cross between Morticia and I Dream of Jeannie."  
  
"Sounds kinky," he grinned and then picked up his drinks from the bar. "Well, I better get back to the table."  
  
"Yes, she's watching us." I couldn't help it. I smiled and waved to her.  
  
"Are you coming?" he asked.  
  
"No, I think I'll go dance with Rodney." The insurance agent was doing a silly dance by himself on the edge of the dance floor and kept giving me waggley eyed invitations to join him.  
  
Harm watched him for a second then shook his head, "Don't hurt him, Mac."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be gentle."  
  
The evening went by in a flurry of dancing and loud talking and lots of laughing. After a while I had decided to quit worrying. No one suspicious was hanging around in corners and it seemed unlikely that anything would happen in the middle of a bar with so many people around. So I danced with every man in the place except Harm, and Gunny danced with all the women except Frankie. It was a friendly crowd except for those two. They stayed together, either dancing slowly or talking quietly. Occasionally, I would catch Harm watching me and I found my gaze drifting to where they were sitting more often than I should have, but for most of the time I tried to ignore them and have a good time.  
  
Someone pulled me out onto the floor to learn some new line dance. I tried to keep up but soon I was stumbling and kicking and turning in all the wrong places. Laughing I excused myself and left in the middle of the song.  
  
I was headed for the ladies room when an arm shot out and dragged me into a dark storage area. I yelped and struggled as I tried to bite the hand that clamped down on my mouth.  
  
"Shhh," a voice whispered close to my ear and everything in me relaxed as the familiar form of Harmon Rabb trapped me against the moonlit wall.  
  
He removed his hand and replaced it with his mouth. A starving mouth that ate up the darkness-consumed me with its hunger until it became my whole reality. His lips danced across mine and his hot breath mingled with every moan of desire he could wring from me. It felt like years since he'd kissed me. It felt like only seconds until he stopped.  
  
"This is crazy, Harm." I whispered against his lips  
  
"I know, but I need for you to say it again," he urged as he nipped at my jaw.  
  
"Say what?" I could barely stand much less talk, and I grabbed onto his ears thinking I would fall to the ground if I let go.  
  
"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" He straightened enough to look into my eyes. "This afternoon, back at the office before Frankie came in, you said you had fallen in love with me."  
  
"Oh that." I winced suddenly feeling shy, but when I tried to look away his next words stopped me.  
  
"I love you too, Mac-just in case you're wondering."  
  
I smiled and let go of his ears. I suddenly felt weightless, able to leap tall buildings and I couldn't stop smiling.  
  
He loved me.  
  
I mean, I'd been pretty sure that he loved me. For years I'd hoped that he did. And lately, he'd actually been acting like he was in love with me-but hearing the words as he held me against a grimy wall inside this dark closet surrounded by cleaning products and mop buckets made everything absolutely perfect.  
  
"Say it," he prodded once more.  
  
"I love you, Harm." The next kiss was a softened by our comprehension of what we'd just admitted. We were both grinning so hard it was impossible to pucker our lips. We bumped teeth and grinned even harder before finally drawing back, content to just stare at each other. But that didn't last long. Soon our mouths were welded together again and our hands were about to start drifting inappropriately when voices floated in from the small window on the far wall that opened up onto the alley.  
  
We both grew still, and then crept quietly to the window and peered out. Gloria Randall and Frankie Mitchell were having a very heated argument, and it was obvious that Gloria was winning. She was the one pointing the gun.  
  
To be continued-- 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Part Twelve  
  
"I want those files, Frankie." Gloria's voice was harsh and menacing.  
  
"Gloria, you don't understand- " Frankie was pleading.  
  
"Oh, I understand alright. Let's go." Gloria waved the gun at her and pushed her toward a waiting car.  
  
Harm and I both bolted for the door and ran into the alley just in time to see the car pulling away. We ran for his car around the corner. I jumped into the passenger side and we took off after them. They had headed east on Frederick Road and the traffic was light so it didn't take long to spot them. Harm kept his distance not wanting to let Gloria know that she was being followed. After we had been chasing her for about twenty minutes he said, "It looks like they're going to Frankie's house."  
  
"I better call Gunny and let him know." Harm handed me his phone, and I dialed the number and filled him in. After I hung up I told Harm, "He's on his way, but he is going to contact Catherine first."  
  
"Good," Harm hadn't said much. His face was closed and serious as he concentrated on keeping the car in sight.  
  
I was still just trying to make sense of what we'd seen. "I just can't believe that Gloria is the one behind this."  
  
"I know. She had everyone fooled." He seemed shocked, too.  
  
"I wonder what set her off tonight."  
  
"Maybe Frankie told her that she was going to let me look through her files. She must have panicked. She knew if I saw them I would be able to connect her charity to the illegal money."  
  
"So if the files are at Frankie's house, why didn't you look at them when you were there this afternoon?"  
  
He frowned and shook his head. "She acted like they were at her office."  
  
"Maybe she's leading her on a wild goose chase."  
  
"She is going to get herself killed if she isn't careful." He got very quiet and then said, "I shouldn't have left her alone."  
  
I studied him for a moment knowing that he was going to feel responsible if any thing went wrong and said, "Harm, it wouldn't have made any difference. If Gloria said she needed to talk to her you wouldn't have thought twice about leaving them alone. Am I right?"  
  
He glanced at me but didn't answer so I continued, "And think about it. If you hadn't been with me, you wouldn't have overheard them arguing, and we wouldn't be following them right now. So don't be so hard on yourself."  
  
He kept his eyes on the road as he said, "I knew dragging you into that closet was a good idea."  
  
"One of the best you've ever had." I reached over and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry, Harm, I won't let anything happen to your girlfriend."  
  
"She may be my girlfriend, but you're the woman I love." His tone was light, but his eyes were sincere.  
  
"As long as we have that straight," I said with a smile.  
  
We reached the driveway a few minutes after they pulled into it. Frankie lived in a small frame house set off the road. The driveway was long and it wound around to the back of the house, so they couldn't see us when we pulled up in front. A small road ran beside the property and led to four or five houses that were nestled back among the trees. Harm decided to take a chance and turn onto that street and go on past the house. If they saw us he hoped they would assume we were someone who lived on the street just passing by and then we could park and hike back down to the house without being seen. If we left the car in front it would be too easy to spot. Harm hesitated only long enough to get a gun out of the glove compartment and another one out of the trunk. He shoved one at me and then took off without waiting.  
  
I wasn't dressed for hiking. My high heels kept sinking down into the dirt and I finally gave up and pulled them off. Harm was eating up the ground in his haste to rescue Frankie and I struggled to keep up with him. We'd just made our way through the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing in time to see them get out of the car and head toward the house. We were still at least fifty yards away but a light over the back porch lit up the wooden steps leading up to the back door. We could clearly see Frankie climb up the steps and fiddle nervously with her keys as she tried to unlock the door. Gloria stood behind her on the next step with the gun still trained on her back, and we could hear the irritation in her voice as she told Frankie to hurry up.  
  
Without warning, Frankie turned abruptly, knocking Gloria off the steps and to the ground. Before she could get up Frankie jumped down and took off running toward the trees but away from where we were standing. Gloria struggled to her feet and ran in the same direction.  
  
"She must be headed for the pond," Harm said as he took off after them. I knew from the surveillance reports that there was a large pond at the back of the property, but I wouldn't have been able to find it on my own. I followed him as quickly as I could while I tried to ignore the sticks and brambles and rocks that were digging into my feet. I hiked up my skirt in disgust, held onto my gun, and ran. If Frankie would just stay still it would make rescuing her a whole lot easier.  
  
Ahead of me Harm was crouched down, and when I caught up to him he pulled me down beside him. We were obviously close to the pond because the ground was muddy and slick. We crawled forward in the ooze until we could see the two women. Gloria was breathing hard and Frankie was backing away from her with her eyes wide. The full moon reflected off the pond giving their faces a strange luminescence that illuminated their fear.  
  
Harm whispered, "You stay here. I'm going to go around so I can get a drop on her from behind."  
  
I nodded in agreement. We didn't want anything to make her start shooting. I tried to watch his progress but I soon lost him in the trees.  
  
"You won't get away with this," Frankie said helplessly.  
  
"Frankie, I'm not going to hurt you. Just give me the files." Gloria sounded reasonable but since she had the gun, she could afford to sound reasonable.  
  
As quietly as possible I got to my feet so I would be ready to back Harm up once he made his move into the clearing. I noticed with disgust that I was covered with mud from head to toe, but on the bright side it helped me blend into the shrubbery, and it was probably pulling toxins from my pores as an added bonus. I crept forward and watched as Harm slowly emerged from the trees.  
  
"Drop the gun, Gloria."  
  
She gasped and twirled to face him. "Harry, stay out of this." She didn't drop the gun, but she didn't point it at him either.  
  
Frankie in the meantime took advantage of Gloria's lapse in attention and started running away around the edge of the water. I was still hidden in the trees, but I rolled my eyes and was about to take off after her when I heard yelling and cussing. A minute later she reappeared struggling ineffectively in the grasp of a large man. It was one of the men I had seen that morning in Gloria's office. He had a gun, too, and he pointed it at Harm and Gloria and said, "Drop your guns, or she dies."  
  
Harm threw his gun to the ground and Gloria followed with hers. I was getting confused about who was working with who. I mean Gloria didn't seem happy to see this guy, but I could sort all of that out later. I was about to aim my gun at him and hope that he wouldn't shoot Frankie, when Gunny stepped silently from behind him and stuck a gun to his back. "Let her go," he insisted quietly. "And drop the gun while you're at it."  
  
He did as he was told and Frankie scampered away from him, this time toward Harm. She threw herself into his arms and he hugged her protectively. Even as Gunny herded the big man toward Gloria, I wondered where his partner might be. I didn't have to wonder for long. I was about to join them when I heard a click and the barrel of a gun was pressed into the side of my head.  
  
"Not so fast everyone." He grabbed me by the throat and marched me into the clearing.  
  
Gunny dropped his gun and Big Guy number one retrieved his. The ground was littered with weapons. Except for mine. When Big Guy number two grabbed me, he didn't bother to see if I was armed. I was trying to keep it hidden half way under my sleeve until the time was right.  
  
Harm pushed himself away from Frankie and started toward me. "Mac-- "  
  
The man holding me made a violent motion with the gun at my head and the arm around my throat tightened. My vision blurred as my air supply was cut off but he loosened his hold when Harm stopped and demanded, "Who are you and what do you want?"  
  
"Don't play dumb. We want the money. It's ours and Sadiq is not very happy that he had to send us all this way to collect it. Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?" The man tightened his grip on my neck again, and I felt myself sagging against him. I clawed at his arm with my one free hand.  
  
"Let her go." Harm pleaded on my behalf. "We'll cooperate. You don't need her anymore."  
  
His plea was ignored and the man asked again, "Which one of you is Frankie Mitchell?"  
  
Frankie stepped forward and said bravely, "I am."  
  
He looked at her, and made a nodding gesture toward me with his head and asked, "Well then, what do you want me to do with her?"  
  
Frankie looked at me very calmly and said quietly, "Kill her."  
  
To be continued-- 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Part Thirteen  
  
The sound of a gunshot exploded in the night, and I saw Harm's face freeze in horror right before I slumped to the ground. I heard him yell my name and then everything started happening at once.  
  
Gunny took advantage of the opportunity and wrestled the gun from the man beside him, Gloria jumped on Frankie and had her in a stranglehold, and the man who had been holding me dropped his weapon and was rolling around on the ground, howling in pain.  
  
Harm rushed to my side and gathered me into his arms. "Mac, my God. Are you alright?" he asked frantically.  
  
I managed to catch my breath and muttered, "I'm okay."  
  
"What happened?" he asked as checked me for injuries.  
  
"I shot him in the foot." I gasped. My throat felt bruised and I could barely speak.  
  
"That's my girl." He laughed and pulled me into a brief hug. I struggled to sit up and I could see that Gunny was holding a gun on both of Sadiq's men. Gloria and Frankie were still wrestling, but then Frankie elbowed Gloria in the nose and disappeared into the trees. I jumped somewhat unsteadily to my feet and with Marine-like determination started after her. "She's getting away, Harm."  
  
She was running around the water in the direction she'd been going earlier before Sadiq's goon had caught her. I thought it was strange that she wasn't running back toward the house. Instead it was if she was running toward something. Harm passed me as we broke through the light growth at the edge of the pond and we found ourselves in a hidden alcove that would have been hard to find if we hadn't been following her. Frankie had thrown herself against a stone bench-a small alter that was covered with half burnt candles, dead flowers and small mementos. It suddenly struck me that we had stumbled upon a memorial for her dead lover-Ben Faud.  
  
She was talking to herself or maybe to Ben's spirit, I wasn't sure, but she seemed unaware that we were there. She took a lighter from a box on the bench and started lighting all the candles. Once she was finished she turned around and headed for the edge of the pond. A heavy chain was attached to a fairly large tree and ran along the ground and disappeared into the water. The links coiled at her feet as she started pulling on it, dragging whatever was attached to it toward the shore. I thought maybe it was some kind of strong box filled with Sadiq's money, but soon I could see her grab onto something that looked like a large bundle of rags.  
  
Harm decided to creep closer while I stayed hidden in the brush. Frankie suddenly got very still, and then turned around quickly, but she smiled when she saw him. "Harry! I'm so glad you decided to join me. Did you come to help?"  
  
"Yes, I want to help, Frankie."  
  
"We need to get everything ready."  
  
"Ready for what?" he asked as he moved a little closer.  
  
"Ms. McIntire," she explained patiently. "I know you're upset that we had to kill her, but she wasn't who you thought she was-we can bury her in the pond."  
  
She must have seen me collapse when my gun went off and assumed that I was the one who'd been shot, and now she was planning on disposing of my body. She bent over and finished pulling the bundle completely out of the water and started arranging it lovingly. It was a large mass of sopping wet slime covered cloth wrapped haphazardly around a few connected bones but she spoke to it as if it could answer. "You won't mind. Will you Ben?"  
  
That's what I'd been afraid of as soon as I saw her talking to that moldy pile of material. She wasn't just guilty. She was crazy as a loon. Everyone had assumed that Ben had been killed on a mission, but the entire time he had been hanging out as fish food in Frankie's pond.  
  
And now she was making plans for me to join him. Over my-not-so-dead body! I stood up and announced. "I hate to disappoint you, Ms. Mitchell, but I'm still alive."  
  
She whirled to face me and stared in amazement before she threw her hands in the air and said, "Oh good grief. What else can go wrong with my day?"  
  
"I can think of lots of things, Frankie. Do you hear those sirens? They're coming to take you away. Ha ha."  
  
"Mac," Harm said warningly. He still seemed shocked at coming face to face with Ben, and I guess I wasn't helping.  
  
"Sorry, Harry. I know it's not nice to taunt the crazy lady." All of his illusions about her were well and truly shattered at this point. I guess I didn't need to rub it in.  
  
She glared at me and said, "I'm not crazy. I knew you were up to no good the minute I laid eyes on you. Harry, her boyfriend is the man that was following me around!" She sounded like a whiney tattle tale.  
  
"Well, I knew you were up to no good the minute I saw you pull your dead boyfriend out of the fish pond. Did you kill him, Frankie? Or did you tell someone else to do it the way you ordered that man to kill me?"  
  
"I didn't mean to do it. You know that, don't you, Harry?"  
  
She grabbed onto his arm and started to plead with him. Her dress slipped awkwardly off one shoulder and her hair flew into her face as he jerked away. It seemed he could barely stand to look at her. "Let go, Frankie."  
  
He moved over beside me which seemed to infuriate her. "Of course you're going to take her side. I saw the way you always looked at her-the same way all the men looked at her. You just had to hire her, didn't you? It's disgusting-you were so blinded by lust that you couldn't see that she was just using you to spy on me. You're pathetic and weak-just like Ben."  
  
I wanted to keep her talking until the authorities arrived so I asked, "Is that why you killed him? Because he was weak?"  
  
She picked up the chain from the ground and started wrapping it mindlessly around her arm. She seemed to be in a trance as she spoke. "He was always flirting with other women, and he said it didn't mean anything. Maybe it didn't. I loved him so much-just like I love you, Harry."  
  
"Even if you are pathetic and weak," I muttered out of the side of my mouth.  
  
"You're just jealous," he said under his breath.  
  
She continued to ramble, oblivious to us now. "So I understood why all the women wanted him, and I would always forgive him, but not that last time. Gloria was supposed to be my friend and when I confronted him, he just laughed and he wouldn't stop-so I killed him."  
  
"They had an affair?" Harm asked the question this time.  
  
She nodded. "For all these years Gloria has had no idea that I was using her precious organization to hide Sadiq's money."  
  
"Until today," I guessed. When those men showed up this morning she got suspicious and went to Frankie for answers.  
  
"At first I didn't really know what the money was being used for-I mean when we first met, Ben was involved in all sorts of really worthy humanitarian efforts for his country, and I wanted to help him. By the time I found out what his brother was involved in it would have looked suspicious if I ended the arrangement, especially after Ben disappeared."  
  
"So you just decided to keep helping a criminal so you could save your own hide." I couldn't hide my disgust.  
  
The sirens were getting closer, and I hoped that really was the sound of Catherine sending in back up for us. This operation had never called for us to blow our cover and we weren't authorized to actually arrest any one. And at this point I had no idea who Frankie thought I was working for or why I would be spying on her. I guess when you murder someone and launder money for a terrorist it tends to make you paranoid, so she probably saw enemies under every rock. Harm on the other hand just needed to maintain his cover as Harry, get the evidence and then disappear from the scene. If we could get her to go quietly back to the house we could all be arrested as a group and then Harry and Hannah and Cente would cease to exist.  
  
I decided to show a little force to help her come to a sensible decision and pointed my gun at her. "Why don't we head back to the house now, Frankie?"  
  
"You'll have to shoot me. I'm not leaving Ben." She started edging back toward the water.  
  
"If that's the way you want it." I fired the gun and killed a water lily that had been floating beside her.  
  
She screamed and fell backwards landing in the water with a splash. She floundered around and Harm and I both ran toward her as fast as we could. Before we could reach her, she turned and started swimming out to the middle of the pond.  
  
I stood for a moment watching her as she moved farther away. Because of this woman I had already run barefoot through the woods, scrambled through thorny bushes and crawled on my hands and knees through mud and muck. Somehow I wasn't surprised that I was about to jump fully clothed into this scum covered murky water to chase after Frankie Mitchell. I shook my head in disgust, threw down my gun and took the plunge. Harm dove in before I did and he cut smoothly through the water, making up the distance much faster than I could. I probably should have stayed safely on the shore and let him go after her alone, but I just didn't seem to be able to do that. Besides, she would probably try to drown him as soon as he got within reach.  
  
And I was right. He lunged for her, and she began flailing her arms around wildly, making it impossible for him to subdue her. Harm was much stronger than she was, and I expected her to run out of steam quickly, but she suddenly swung her arm at him and I saw his head snap back. The moonlight was shining enough for me to see that he was bleeding and then I realized she'd hit him with the chain that was still wrapped around her arm. He seemed only half conscious as he made a feeble attempt to hold onto her. She saw that I was getting closer and tried to swim away, but the exertion had worn her out and the chains were beginning to weigh her down. She panicked and grabbed onto to Harm. He moaned and I watched in horror as they both sank beneath the waves.  
  
I was cussing like a sailor as I tried to swim in that dumb tight skirt, but I kicked harder in a desperate attempt to reach them. At that moment I didn't care if Frankie Mitchell lived or died, but there was no way she was going to take Harm down with her. I was starting to panic myself , and then miraculously I swam across the chain that was wrapped around her arm. I dove down and grabbed it hoping and praying that she was still holding onto Harm too. I swam along it, pulling it toward me frantically and shot up through the water hoping to pull them up with it. I cried out when I saw Harm bob to the surface. I pulled him closer and called his name again. He coughed up some water, but I could see that he was still dazed. He was still holding onto Frankie and I managed to get him on his back and grab his collar. She was clutching his shirt and sprawled across his chest as I started towing them both toward the shore. I could barely keep myself afloat but by following the chain that tethered us to the shore, I managed to make slow painful progress.  
  
I was too tired to care when I realized that Ben's mangled body had drifted out from the bank and was bobbing next to us. It was linked to Frankie by the chain around her arm and had been pulled back into the water as she tried to get away from us. It was half submerged and the wrappings were beginning to fill up with water. As it began to sink I felt an unbelievable strain on my arm that was towing the two of them. It felt like it was being pulled out of the socket and I gritted my teeth as I tried to hold on. I realized that as Ben's body was sinking it was pulling Frankie down with it and as long as Harm was hanging onto her it would pull him down too. I tried to untwist the chain from her arm but it was stretched impossibly taut. I pleaded with him to let her go even though I wasn't sure if he could hear me. "Harm listen to me, you have to let her go."  
  
His eyes fluttered open and he seemed to wake up enough to realize the situation. He felt Frankie being pulled down and away from him and his instinct was to fight against it. I was crying uncontrollably as I lost my grip on him. "Harm please let her go and grab onto me." At the last minute he released his grip, and she disappeared under the water. He reached for me, and together we struggled the rest of the way to shore and collapsed half in and half out of the water. I could hear voices and see flash lights bouncing around in the trees. Minutes later Gunny was by our sides, shouting for help.  
  
The rest of the night was a blur. Police swarmed the area and when we told them that they would find two bodies at the bottom of the pond, they started the grisly chore of bringing them to the surface. As a paramedic checked me over I watched a policeman pull on the heavy chain the same way Frankie had done earlier that evening. I watched as the body became visible and was brought up onto the shore. Harm joined me as I walked over to have one last look at Ben. But he wasn't alone. Frankie had found him in the depths of that black lightless void and wrapped herself around him so tightly that it was impossible to tell where one started and the other one stopped. I felt a shudder go through Harm as he looked down at them, and I put my hand on his arm, but he brushed me off and stalked off to stare out at the water. I knew we could add this to his list of things he would feel guilty about-failures he was responsible for-another damsel he hadn't managed to save. And I knew that I would be there for him if he needed me, but right now what he needed was some time alone, so I would honor that. Even though every bone in my beat up, filthy, dirty, exhausted body wanted to hug him and hold him and never let him go.  
  
A picture flashed into my head of me clutching onto Harm the same way Frankie was clutching onto Ben, and I didn't like it, so I did the hardest thing I have ever done. I turned my back on Harm and walked away.  
  
To be continued 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Part Fourteen  
  
I unlocked the door to my old apartment and walked inside.  
  
Alone.  
  
I was right back where I started all those weeks ago before I decided to jump in with both feet and help Harm. I dropped my bag inside the door and without turning on the lights I walked over to the window and stared out at the full moon that was still shining brightly. It seemed as if too much had happened for it all to fit into one moonlit night.  
  
Catherine had actually shown up at the scene shortly after the police did. We answered tons of questions about what had happened, and then she insisted that both Harm and I be taken to the hospital. We'd been whisked away in separate ambulances. Gunny had ridden with me-Catherine with Harm.  
  
And I'd lost track of him after that. I had been examined and was waiting for my release papers when Catherine dropped by my examining room long enough to thank me for a job well done. She also told me that my services as Hannah McIntire would no longer be required.  
  
Harry Baldridge on the other hand was a different story. She chattered on about how they would be pursuing leads that tied Sadiq to organizations from California to Vermont, and how she knew that Harm would want to be involved. I said I wanted to see him-to make sure that he was okay, but she told me that I would have to wait-that they needed to finish doing tests and finish debriefing him. She said I should go on home to DC-that she would tell Harm to contact me before he left again. And with that she was gone.  
  
I sat fuming at Catherine's high handed attitude and waited impatiently for the nurse to bring my release forms. When she finally did I found Gunny waiting outside the room for me.  
  
"I need to see Harm," I stated baldly. I tried not to sound whiney.  
  
"Let's go find him." He tucked me under his arm, and we headed toward the nurse's station. The nice woman behind the desk rummaged through some papers and then informed us that he had been released into the care of Catherine Gale. They had been gone at least twenty minutes.  
  
I suddenly felt too weary to think about what to do next, and I slumped against Gunny's shoulder.  
  
"Let me take you to our apartment," he said. "You're dead on your feet."  
  
I agreed, and when we got there I stripped off my filthy clothes and stepped into the hottest shower I could stand. The water managed to revive me, and when I got out I combed my wet hair, threw on some sweats, and started throwing clothes into a bag. I knew I couldn't stay in that apartment another night. Gunny offered to drive me when I said I was going home, but I smiled and told him no thanks.  
  
"So Gunny, I suppose you'll be taking off for parts unknown?" I suddenly realized how much I was going to miss having him around.  
  
"You know me. As long as Sadiq is out there I need to be in on the hunt." He shrugged and gave me that cute little half smile.  
  
"I know, but promise me you'll be careful."  
  
He opened his arms and I stepped into them fighting the urge to cry. Marines don't cry while they're hugging each other, and I didn't want to embarrass him.  
  
"Bye, Victor," I whispered.  
  
He nudged my face up so I had to look at him, and said, "Bye, Mac. If you ever need anything-" he let the words trail off.  
  
I smiled at this man who had come to mean more and more to me over the years. "I know. And the same goes for you."  
  
Then he kissed me, and it was a little bit more than brotherly, a lot more than inappropriate given our ranks, and just this side of being too forward. Then he turned me around and gave me a push toward the door.  
  
"Semper fi, ma'am"  
  
"Semper fi, Gunny." I didn't look back as I left.  
  
So now I was home, staring out my living room window and trying to decide if anything about my life had really changed. I would be back at JAG. Harm would be off to who knows where. And I would spend my days worrying about him and my nights longing for him.  
  
Except now I had to do all of that knowing that he loved me.  
  
That should have made it better, but in some ways it only made it worse- knowing that we could and should be working on building a life together. At long last-and knowing that once again it was going to be postponed until when? I mean how long was I going to have to wait for the man to make love to me? Until all the bad guys in the world were put away? Until the CIA learned to function without stealing lawyers away from JAG?  
  
Until Harm decided that it was what he wanted the most, too.  
  
I didn't know how many more nights I could take all alone just hoping that he might show up or call. I didn't know if midnight visits on his way to somewhere else were going to be enough anymore. I was tired and being overly dramatic and not thinking straight so I decided that going to bed was my only sensible option. I walked into the dark bedroom and started stripping off my clothes in front of my dresser. My sweatshirt was halfway off when a voice in the darkness stopped me.  
  
"Not that I mind, but before you take off any more clothes, I should warn you that you're not alone."  
  
I yelped and jumped three feet in the air before spinning around to face the bed. The light from the window illuminated his body. He was on his back under the covers with his hands behind his head.  
  
"Harm, what are you doing here?"  
  
He watched as I fumbled to get my shirt back on and said, "Damn! I knew I should have kept my mouth shut."  
  
I stood rooted in place and said carefully, "I thought you had gone with Catherine."  
  
"I let her use her connections to get me out of that hospital. They wanted to keep me overnight." He sat up and the blanket fell to his waist revealing his bare chest.  
  
I kept my distance, but my concern came flooding back. "Your head-are you really alright?"  
  
He touched his eyebrow absentmindedly. "Yeah, I've got a few stitches, but I'm fine." His voice was low and seductive as he patted the bed beside him. "Why are you way over there? Come here, Mac."  
  
I actually took a few steps toward the bed before I caught myself and said, "I don't think so."  
  
He looked surprised and asked. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I'll tell you what's the matter. You're going to pull one of your 'let me hold you until you fall asleep' tricks, and then I'll wake up in the morning and you'll be gone, and I'll still be pure as the driven snow-in a manner of speaking. Well, it's not gonna happen, buddy!"  
  
"Mac-"  
  
What ever excuse he was going to make I didn't want to hear it so I barreled on just so I could make myself clear. "You think you can just waltz in here whenever you want and refuse to make love to me and then be on your merry way chasing terrorist and seducing psychopaths."  
  
He tried to interrupt me again, and he was laughing now which only made me madder.  
  
"I don't want to hear about how you respect me too much or about how it would be unfair to me until your life is settled."  
  
"Mac!" he said loudly. This time he refused to be ignored.  
  
"What?" I glared at him daring him to say something placating.  
  
"I came here with every intention of being unfair to you all night long if you will ever get your butt into this bed."  
  
"You did?" I know I sounded pathetically hopeful.  
  
"I did." He seemed pleased with himself.  
  
"You're not just saying that just to get me over there?"  
  
"I'm not. I promise. Of course, I'm not as young as I used to be so I may have to be unfair and then rest awhile before I can be unfair to you again."  
  
He threw back the covers and I ran to the bed and jumped in the big middle of him. He laughed and rolled me up in his arms before his mouth found mine. Nothing had ever felt so right. His weight swallowed me. The length of his body was measured by how much of mine it could touch. His hands plucked at the inconvenient sweats that I was still wearing and I sat up to take them off.  
  
My sweatshirt was halfway off when his voice stopped me.  
  
"By the way, Mac, I told Catherine that I was quitting."  
  
I pulled the shirt back down, afraid to believe what I was hearing, and asked warily, "What about Sadiq?"  
  
He smoothed the shirt over my tummy and said, "I'm going to let the CIA worry about him. It may be selfish, but I need to come home." He looked up and his eyes were hopeful. "To you."  
  
My smile lit up the whole room as I settled myself back into his arms. "That could be arranged."  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that, but one of the first things we need to work on is teaching you how to take a sweatshirt all the way off."  
  
"Maybe you could take it off for me."  
  
"That could be arranged, too."  
  
I sat up and he reached over and tugged the hem up over my head. The sweatshirt was halfway off when my voice stopped him. "I love you, Harm."  
  
He pulled the shirt back down into place and just looked at me, his eyes filled with wonder. "I love you, too, Mac." Then he grabbed me by the face and kissed me until I was absolutely senseless.  
  
Oh well, we had years to worry about getting me out of that sweatshirt.  
  
The End 


End file.
